Chinese word

懒

Pronunciation

Pinyinlǎn

Meaning

  • adjectivelazy

Example

别懒，快去帮忙。bié lǎn kuài qù bāng máng

Don't be lazy; go help out right away.

Illustration for 懒 (lazy)

More examples

他的孩子很懒，老师多次提醒也没用。tā de hái zi hěn lǎn lǎo shī duō cì tí xǐng yě méi yòng

His child is very lazy, and repeated reminders from the teacher have not helped.

Core concept

A reluctance to spend effort, shown by avoiding action or putting off a task instead of starting or finishing it.

Common phrases

  • 越来越懒yuè lái yuè lǎn

    become increasingly lazy

  • 懒得动弹lǎn de dòng tán

    be too lazy to move

Similar words

懒惰lǎn duò: Disliking work and effort and tending to avoid them as a general habit.
懒散lán sàn: Showing a loose, careless attitude and little energy in behavior or activity.

Definition in Chinese

不愿意动或付出力气，缺乏开始或完成事情的意愿，常表现为拖延或不想做事。bú yuàn yì dòng huò fù chū lì qì quē fá kāi shǐ huò wán chéng shì qíng de yì yuàn cháng biǎo xiàn wèi tuō yán huò bù xiǎng zuò shì

Word origin

懒 (lǎn, "lazy") is formed from 忄 (xīn, "heart") + 赖 (lài, "depend on"), with 忄 indicating an inner state and 赖 providing the pronunciation.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, calling a person 懒 (lǎn, "lazy") can sound like a broad character judgment, while describing one task keeps the criticism tied to a specific behavior.

Other meanings

  • slackadjective

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word