怠

dài

台 + 心

Definitions

dài idle; lazy; negligent; careless

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 心 represents the meaning and 台 represents the sound.

Semantic: 心 Phonetic: 台

About

A phono-semantic compound, 怠 combines the heart radical 心 (heart/mind) at the bottom, indicating a psychological state, with the phonetic 台 (tái/dài) at the top. It conveys laziness, idleness, or negligence, especially regarding one's responsibilities. The presence of the heart radical shows that this slackness is mental, stemming from a lack of motivation, focus, or inner drive, rather than physical weakness. The character thus describes a careless failure to muster the effort and attention needed to carry out tasks properly.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我们不要懈怠。

Wǒmen bùyào xièdài.

We must not slack off.

他对工作很怠慢。

Tā duì gōngzuò hěn dàimàn.

He is very negligent towards his work.

长时间的懈怠会导致失败。

Cháng shíjiān de xièdài huì dǎozhì shībài.

Prolonged slackness will lead to failure.

由于他的怠工，项目进度被推迟了。

Yóuyú tā de dàigōng, xiàngmù jìndù bèi tuīchí le.

Due to his work slowdown, the project schedule was delayed.

你这种怠惰的态度让我很失望。

Nǐ zhè zhǒng dàiduò de tàidù ràng wǒ hěn shīwàng.

Your lazy attitude disappoints me greatly.

无论学习什么，都切忌心生懈怠。

Wúlùn xuéxí shénme, dōu qièjì xīn shēng xièdài.

No matter what you are learning, be careful not to let slackness grow in your heart.

面对重要任务，任何形式的怠忽都是不可原谅的。

Miànduì zhòngyào rènwù, rènhé xíngshì de dàihū dōu shì bùkě yuánliàng de.

In the face of important tasks, any form of negligence is unforgivable.

他因为之前的怠惰，现在必须付出加倍的努力来弥补。

Tā yīnwèi zhīqián de dàiduò, xiànzài bìxū fùchū jiā bèi de nǔlì lái míbǔ.

Because of his previous laziness, he must now put in double the effort to make up for it.

Related Characters

Component: 台

Component: 心

怠