偷懒

偷懶

tōulǎn

verb HSK 7-9 #11,910

Meanings

Literally 'to steal laziness' - sneaking in some laziness when you should be working.

HSK 1

学习不能偷懒。

Xuéxí bùnéng tōulǎn.

You can't cut corners when studying.

HSK 2

别偷懒，快写作业。

Bié tōulǎn, kuài xiě zuòyè.

Don't slack off, hurry up and do your homework.

HSK 7-9

他总是趁老板不在偷懒。

Tā zǒngshì chèn lǎobǎn bú zài tōulǎn.

He always slacks off when the boss isn't around.

memory

Think of 偷懒 as 'stealing lazy time' - you're sneakily taking time off. The 偷 adds a sense of guilt, like you know you shouldn't be doing it.

偷 tōu

懒 lǎn