每天成语
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百无聊赖

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: bǎi wú liáo lài
  • English Translation: Utterly listless (bored to death)
  • Idiom Composition: 「百」（A hundred; used here to mean 'all' or 'completely' to emphasize the intensity.）＋「无」（Without; to lack.）＋「聊赖」（Spiritual support or something to rely on for interest and comfort.）
  • Meaning: A state of extreme boredom or listlessness where one lacks any spiritual support or interest in anything. It describes a psychological void or a sense of emptiness rather than just having free time.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「百无聊赖」 contains the following nuances:

  • Psychological Emptiness: The focus is on the internal state of 'nothing being interesting' or 'feeling unfulfilled' rather than just the physical state of having no tasks to perform.
  • The Emphasis of 'Hundred' (百): The character 百 (bǎi) acts as an intensifier, suggesting that in every possible way, there is nothing to rely on for mental stimulation, highlighting a total lack of interest.

3. Usage

「百无聊赖」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Killing time: Used to describe someone who is bored while waiting or during a holiday, aimlessly trying to pass the time.
    • Example:「他在候机室里百无聊赖地翻看着杂志。」
      （He was bored to death in the waiting room, aimlessly flipping through magazines.）
  • Existential ennui or lethargy: Used in more serious contexts to describe a loss of purpose or motivation due to unemployment, heartbreak, or a monotonous life.
    • Example:「失业后的那段日子，他整天百无聊赖，不知道该干什么。」
      （During those days after losing his job, he felt utterly listless all day, not knowing what to do with himself.）
  • Literary description: Commonly used in literature to emphasize a character's loneliness or the oppressive atmosphere of their environment.
    • Example:「窗外下着雨，她独自一人坐在屋里，感到一种百无聊赖的寂寞。」
      （It was raining outside, and sitting alone in the room, she felt an overwhelming sense of boredom and loneliness.）

Additional Examples:

  1. 暑假里没有朋友陪伴，他觉得百无聊赖。
    （Without friends to keep him company during summer break, he felt bored to death.）
  2. 在这个没有网络的小村庄，晚上真是百无聊赖。
    （In this small village without internet, the evenings are truly utterly listless.）
  3. 为了打发百无聊赖的时光，他开始学习画画。
    （To kill the monotonous time, he started learning how to paint.）
  4. 会议开得太久，大家都显得有些百无聊赖。
    （The meeting dragged on so long that everyone seemed to be bored out of their minds.）
  5. 这种百无聊赖的生活，我一天也受不了。
    （I couldn't stand even a single day of such a listless and empty life.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Origin: This idiom is said to originate from the Poem of Indignation (悲愤诗) by the late Han Dynasty poet Cai Yan (蔡琰), also known as Cai Wenji (蔡文姬). She wrote about the despair of surviving war and displacement, questioning what there was to 'rely on' (聊赖) even if one remained alive.
  • Modern Nuance: While it originally carried a heavy sense of existential despair, in modern Chinese it is frequently used for everyday boredom, such as being 'bored to tears' because one's phone battery died.
  • Literary Significance: Modern writers like Lu Xun (鲁迅) often used this idiom to depict the spiritual stagnation and malaise felt by intellectuals in a changing society.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

百无聊赖 (bǎi wú liáo lài) describes a state that goes beyond mere 'boredom.' It captures a psychological condition where one feels listless and finds no interest or meaning in their surroundings. It can range from the restlessness of waiting for a flight to a deeper existential ennui. While the similar idiom 无所事事 (wú suǒ shì shì) focuses on the lack of physical action, 百无聊赖 (bǎi wú liáo lài) emphasizes the internal feeling of 'nothingness' and spiritual emptiness.

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