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劳

勞
láo
verb/noun #6,101

Meanings

  1. 1 to toil; to work hard
  2. 2 labor; work
  3. 3 laborer; worker

Examples

劳动最光荣。
Láodòng zuì guāngróng.
Labor is most glorious.
辛劳了一天。
Xīnláo le yī tiān.
Toiled for a whole day.

Tips

usage
劳动 = labor/to work, 辛劳 = hard work.

Components

radical
力 lì
strength; force
The strength radical at the base indexes the character, picturing a flexed muscle or a plough. It supplies the core meaning 'effort, labour' — the bodily exertion expended under the lamp-lit roof depicted above.
semantic
艹 cǎo
grass top (originally fire)
The top in modern 劳 is written as the 艹 grass top, but originally pictured two 火 fires — lamps burning into the night. The simplification regularised the dual-fire top to match the grass-radical shape; the night-labour meaning still resonates with the modern silhouette.
semantic
冖 mì
cover; roof
The cover radical in the middle pictures the roof under which the lamp-lit work takes place. Together with the lamps above and the strength below it forms the full picture of labour: working hard indoors after dark.

Stroke Order

劳 láo