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心力交瘁

Mandarin · pinyin xīn lì jiāo cuì

to be both mentally and physically exhausted (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

心: xīn · heart; mind, intelligence; soul; 5th lunar mansion, determinative star α Scorpii (Antares)
力: lì · power, capability, influence; Kangxi radical 19
交: jiāo · mix; intersect; exchange, communicate; deliver
瘁: cuì · feel tired, be weary, be worn out

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Mandarin tones

1–4–1–4 · xin1 li4 jiao1 cui4

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Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sam1 lik6 gaau1 seoi5

Cantonese word readings for 心力交瘁. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to be mentally and physically exhausted

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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