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疲惫不堪

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

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: pí bèi bù kān
  • English Translation: Extremely exhausted (worn out to the limit)
  • Idiom Composition: 疲惫exhausted or extremely tirednotto bear or endure
  • Meaning: A state of being so utterly exhausted that one can no longer endure it. It is used to describe both extreme physical fatigue and mental depletion, suggesting a level of exhaustion that makes it difficult to continue activity.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

疲惫不堪 contains the following nuances:

  • Extreme Fatigue: As indicated by the word 不堪 (bù kān), which means 'unbearable,' this idiom emphasizes a level of tiredness that is reaching its limit.
  • Application to Mind and Body: It applies not only to physical fatigue from exercise or labor but also to mental exhaustion caused by long-term stress or worry.
  • Grammatical Function: It often functions as a complement following phrases like 累得 (lèi de), meaning 'tired to the point of,' or 弄得 (nòng de), meaning 'rendered into a state of,' to describe the intensity of the condition.

3. Usage

疲惫不堪 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Physical Labor or Exercise: Used when physical energy is completely spent after long hours of work, intense sports, or long-distance travel.
    • Example:经过一整天的搬家工作,他累得疲惫不堪,倒头就睡。
      After a full day of moving house, he was exhausted and fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.)
  • Mental Stress and Busy Schedules: Describes being mentally worn down by work pressure, childcare, or complex interpersonal relationships.
    • Example:连续几周的高强度加班让整个团队都疲惫不堪
      Several consecutive weeks of high-intensity overtime have left the entire team utterly worn out.)
  • Describing Appearance: Used to describe someone's facial expression or general appearance when they look haggard or severely drained.
    • Example:看着父亲疲惫不堪的面容,我很心疼。
      Seeing my father's haggard and exhausted face made my heart ache.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 长途飞行加上时差,弄得我疲惫不堪
    The long flight combined with jet lag has left me completely exhausted.
  2. 照顾生病的孩子让她感到身心俱疲,疲惫不堪
    Taking care of a sick child left her physically and mentally drained and utterly spent.
  3. 虽然大家都疲惫不堪,但为了按时完成任务,没有人停下来。
    Although everyone was exhausted, no one stopped in order to finish the task on time.
  4. 这场马拉松式的谈判让双方代表都疲惫不堪
    This marathon-like negotiation left the representatives of both sides utterly worn out.

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Usage Frequency: This is an extremely common idiom in Chinese, appearing frequently in both formal writing and daily conversation, as well as in news reports.
  • Structural Pattern: The use of 不堪 (bù kān) after a negative adjective to emphasize degree is a common pattern in Chinese, seen in other idioms like 狼狈不堪 (láng bèi bù kān), meaning 'in a wretched state,' or 痛苦不堪 (tòng kǔ bù kān), meaning 'in unbearable pain.'
  • Nuance: It conveys a much more serious level of fatigue than the simple word 累 (lèi). It implies a heavy sense of exhaustion that requires significant rest to recover from.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

疲惫不堪 (pí bèi bù kān) describes being pushed to the absolute limit of one's energy. The inclusion of the term 不堪 (bù kān), meaning 'unbearable,' emphasizes that the fatigue is not just ordinary tiredness but a severe depletion that necessitates rest. It is a versatile idiom used for work, sports, chronic stress, or any situation involving intense exhaustion.

Idiom Essay

pí bèi bù kān
疲惫不堪
Exhausted
yǒuyī zhǒng一种lèizhǐ shì只是xiǎngshuì jiào睡觉nà me那么jiǎn dān简单

There is a kind of tiredness that is not as simple as just wanting to sleep.

gèngxiàngshìyī zhǒng一种chén zhòng沉重degǎn jué感觉

It is more like a heavy sensation.

huìjué de觉得shēn tǐ身体fǎng fú仿佛bèitāo kōng掏空leliántái qǐ抬起shǒudōuxū yào需要é wài额外delì qì力气dà nǎo大脑hǎo xiàng好像tíng zhǐ停止lezhuǎn dòng转动bù xiǎng不想shuō huà说话bù xiǎng不想sī kǎo思考zhǐxiǎngzhǎodì fāng地方chè dǐ彻底tān ruǎn瘫软xià lái下来

You feel as if your body has been hollowed out, where even lifting a hand requires extra effort; your brain seems to have stopped turning, and you don't want to talk or think, only wanting to find a place to completely collapse.

zhōng wén中文yǒuyí gè一个chéng dù程度hěnshēndechéng yǔ成语zhuān mén专门yòng lái用来xíng róng形容zhè zhǒng这种zhuàng tài状态jiàopí bèi bù kān疲惫不堪

In Chinese, there is a very intense idiom specifically used to describe this state, called 疲惫不堪.

zhèliǎngzǔ hé组合zàiyì qǐ一起hěnyǒu yì si有意思

The combination of these two words is very interesting.

pí bèi疲惫zhǐdeshìjí dù极度deláo lèi劳累érbù kān不堪yì si意思shìbù néng不能rěn shòu忍受huò zhě或者dàolejí diǎn极点

疲惫 refers to extreme fatigue, while 不堪 means unbearable or to the extreme.

suǒ yǐ所以zhè ge这个shuōdebú shì不是pǔ tōng普通delèiér shì而是zhèfènpí juàn疲倦yǐ jīng已经dàolenéng gòu能够chéng shòu承受dejí xiàn极限zàiduōyì diǎn diǎn一点点kě néng可能jiù yào就要kuǎ diào垮掉le

Therefore, this term does not speak of ordinary tiredness, but rather that this fatigue has reached the limit of what you can bear; any more, and you might collapse.

wǒ men我们píng shí平时chángshuōlèilekě néng可能zhǐ shì只是shēn tǐ身体xū yào需要shuìyī jiào一觉

We often say "I'm tired," which might just mean the body needs a nap.

dànpí bèi bù kān疲惫不堪wǎng wǎng往往dàizheyī zhǒng一种jīng shén精神shàngdejù dà巨大xiāo hào消耗

But 疲惫不堪 often carries a sense of massive mental exhaustion.

yě xǔ也许shìyī cì一次màn cháng漫长decháng tú长途lǚ xíng旅行zhī hòu之后zhōng yú终于fàng xià放下lechén zhòng沉重dexíng lǐ行李yě xǔ也许shìlián xù连续jiā bān加班leyí gè yuè一个月zhōng yú终于xiàng mù项目zuò wán做完deyī kè一刻yòuhuò zhě或者shìjīng lì经历leyī cháng一场hěnnánchǔ lǐ处理demá fán麻烦shìxīn lì jiāo cuì心力交瘁

Perhaps it is after a long journey when you finally put down heavy luggage; perhaps it is the moment you finish a project after working overtime for a month; or perhaps it is being mentally drained after dealing with a difficult trouble.

zàizhè xiē这些shí kè时刻gǎn dào感到dezhǐ shì只是jī ròu肌肉suān tòng酸痛ér shì而是zhěng gè整个rénjí shǐ即使zuòzhejué de觉得yáo yáo yù zhuì摇摇欲坠

In these moments, what you feel is not just muscle soreness, but that even while sitting, your whole being feels precarious.

suī rán虽然zhèshìyí gè一个xíng róng形容zhuàng tài状态bù hǎo不好dedànqí shí其实hěnchéng shí诚实

Although this is a word describing a "bad state," it is actually very honest.

zàití xǐng提醒wǒ men我们réndenéng liàng能量shìyǒu xiàn有限debìngbú shì不是bù zhī pí juàn不知疲倦dejī qì机器

It reminds us that human energy is limited and we are not tireless machines.

dānggǎn dào感到pí bèi bù kān疲惫不堪deshí hòu时候qí shí其实shìshēn tǐ身体zàifā chū发出zuìqiáng liè强烈dexìn hào信号

When you feel 疲惫不堪, it is actually your body sending the strongest signal.

zàigào sù告诉yǐ jīng已经zuògòuduōlexiàn zài现在bì xū必须tíng xià lái停下来hǎo hǎo好好zhào gù照顾zì jǐ自己le

It is telling you: you have done enough, and now, you must stop and take good care of yourself.

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