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.

别偷懒，快写作业。

Bié tōulǎn, kuài xiězuò yè.

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

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.

学习不能偷懒。

Xuéxí bùnéng tōulǎn.

You can't cut corners when studying.

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