Chinese word

消耗

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiāo hào

Meaning

  • verbconsume

Example

长时间工作让我消耗了很多精力。cháng shí jiān gōng zuò ràng wǒ xiāo hào le hěn duō jīng lì

Working for a long time consumed a lot of my energy.

Illustration for 消耗 (consume)

More examples

这台设备运行时会消耗大量电力。zhè tái shè bèi yùn xíng shí huì xiāo hào dà liàng diàn lì

This equipment uses up a large amount of electricity when it runs.

Core concept

A steady draw on a reserve, leaving less capacity after continued or repeated use.

Common phrases

  • 消耗精力xiāo hào jīng lì

    use up energy

  • 消耗资源xiāo hào zī yuán

    use up resources

  • 消耗能量xiāo hào néng liàng

    use up energy

Similar words

花费huā fèi: Spend money, time, or effort on something.
浪费làng fèi: Use something carelessly or unnecessarily so that it goes to waste.
耗费hào fèi: Spend a great deal of time, energy, or money on something.
耗尽hào jìn: Exhaust a supply, resource, or ability completely.

Definition in Chinese

使物体、能力或资源逐步损耗或减少，常指长期或反复的消耗过程。shǐ wù tǐ néng lì huò zī yuán zhú bù sǔn hào huò jián shǎo cháng zhǐ cháng qī huò fǎn fù de xiāo hào guò chéng

Word origin

消 (xiāo, "disappear") + 耗 (hào, "consume") combine to portray a reserve that gradually diminishes through use.

Usage tips

  • The verb is transitive: the affected resource usually follows it, while the person who becomes tired is not normally its direct object.

Other meanings

  • wear downverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 消耗品xiāo hào pǐnconsumablenoun
  • 消耗量xiāo hào liàngamount consumednoun
  • 消耗率xiāo hào lǜconsumption ratenoun

Word lists with this word