恹 (yān): listless; weak and spiritless (…

Meanings

1 listless; weak and spiritless (used in 恹恹) (literary)

Characters

恹

yān

listless (in 恹恹)

Examples

他病了很久，看上去恹恹的。

Tā bìng le hěnjiǔ, kànshangqu yānyān de.

He had been ill for a long time and looked utterly listless.

Tips

history

恹 is not used on its own; it occurs only in the reduplication 恹恹 (listless, languid), often in 病恹恹 (sickly and weak). It joins the heart radical 忄 with the phonetic 厌.

register

Literary and bound; appears only in 恹恹 and 病恹恹, not as a free word in speech.

Components

radical

忄 xīn

heart; spirit

The left-side heart radical 忄 (the side form of 心) marks this as a state of spirit — here a drained, listless feeling.

phonetic

厌 yàn

to dislike; weary

Supplies the sound (reading shifted from yàn to yān). Its sense of weariness faintly echoes the spiritless 'listless' meaning.

Stroke Order

恹 yān

Related Words

则 zé HSK 7-9 #1,707

rule; principle; regulation / then; in that case (literary) / but; however (literary)

之 zhī HSK 7-9 #245

possessive particle (literary equivalent of 的) / of; 's / him/her/it (literary object pronoun)

言语 yányǔ HSK 5 #6,776

words; speech / language (literary)

野 yě HSK 6 #2,789

wild; uncultivated / unruly; rough; uncivilized / field; open country (literary)

伊 yī #2,294

he; she (literary) / used in transliterations (e.g. Iraq 伊拉克, Iran 伊朗)

于 yú HSK 6 #393

in; at; to / from; by (literary) / with regard to

软弱 ruǎnruò HSK 7-9 #4,912

weak / feeble / spineless

著 zhù #4,865

to write; to compose / outstanding; notable / literary work; book

嚼 jué #4,826

to chew; to masticate (literary)

弱点 ruòdiǎn HSK 7-9 #4,501

weakness; weak point; vulnerability