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折腾

zhē teng
HSK 2.0 Level 6 HSK 3.0 Level 7 Verb Uncommon

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Definitions

  1. 1. to toss from side to side (e.g. sleeplessly)
  2. 2. to repeat sth over and over again
  3. 3. to torment sb
  4. 4. to play crazy
  5. 5. to squander (time, money)

Usage notes

Common mistakes

折腾 (zhēteng) often carries a negative connotation of pointless effort or causing trouble, unlike 尝试 (try) which is neutral.

Formality

折腾 is colloquial and commonly used in informal speech; avoid in formal writing.