HSK · Level 91
45 words
Chinese word
懒得
Pronunciation
Pinyinlǎn de
Meaning
- verbnot feel like
Example
他懒得参加会议。tā lǎn de cān jiā huì yì
He does not feel like attending the meeting.
More examples
老板发了很多邮件，他都懒得回复。láo bǎn fā le hěn duō yóu jiàn tā dōu lǎn de huí fù
The boss sent him a lot of emails, but he did not feel like replying to any of them.
Core concept
An inner sense that an action is more trouble than the speaker wants to take on.
Common phrases
懒得理会lǎn de lǐ huì
not feel like dealing with
懒得做决定lǎn de zuò jué dìng
not feel like making a decision
懒得动手lǎn de dòng shǒu
not feel like getting started
Similar words
不想bù xiǎng: Not wanting to do something, as a general expression of a lack of desire.
不愿意bú yuàn yì: Being unwilling to do something, with little readiness to agree or take part.
提不起劲tí bù qǐ jìn: Lacking the energy or drive to start doing something.
懒于lǎn yú: Being unwilling to spend time or effort on an action, in somewhat formal written language.
Definition in Chinese
用于表达因没有意愿或动力而不去做某事，多用在口语，语气上比“不想”更随意，常接动词。yòng yú biǎo dá yīn méi yǒu yì yuàn huò dòng lì ér bú qù zuò mǒu shì duō yòng zài kóu yǔ yǔ qì shàng bǐ bù xiǎng gèng suí yì cháng jiē dòng cí
Word origin
懒 (lǎn, "lazy") + 得 (de, "grammatical particle") joins a low-energy state to a following action, framing that action as beyond the speaker's willingness to pursue it.
Usage tips
- English reluctant often suggests resistance to a particular person or plan, whereas this everyday Chinese expression can simply signal low motivation or indifference without implying opposition.