吃力

chī lì

HSK 2.0 Level 6 HSK 3.0 Level 7 Adjective Uncommon

Definitions

1. to entail strenuous effort
2. to toil at a task
3. strenuous
4. laborious
5. strain

Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

• 容易 róng yì 容易 róng yì easy; straightforward 吃力意味着需要很大努力，而容易表示不费力: easy; straightforward

Synonyms

2 items

• 费劲 fèi jìn 费劲 fèi jìn to require effort 形容做某事需要耗费很大力气，如‘这工作很吃力，也很费劲’: to require effort
• 费力 fèi lì 费力 fèi lì to expend a great deal of effort 强调消耗体力或精力，如‘爬这座山真吃力，太费力了’: to expend a great deal of effort

Usage notes

Common mistakes

Learners sometimes say 很吃力得做 for 'do sth. with great effort', but the correct pattern is 做得很吃力, using the complement of degree.

Example Sentences

2 shown

搬那个箱子真 吃力 ，我要歇一会儿。

Carrying that box is really strenuous; I need to rest a while.

他欠缺经验，所以工作很 吃力 。

He lacks experience, so the work is very strenuous for him.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 吃力

• 吃力不讨好 吃力不讨好 chī lì bù tǎo hǎo: arduous and thankless task (idiom); strenuous and unrewarding

Child Words of 吃力

• 力 力 lì: power
• 吃 吃 chī: to eat