疲

A phono-semantic compound:

疒 — indicating illness, weakness, or physical debilitation

皮 — phonetic element providing the sound "pi"

Originally, 疲 referred to physical exhaustion resembling illness, not merely momentary tiredness. In early texts, it often described deep fatigue caused by labor, warfare, or prolonged hardship, rather than simple sleepiness.

疲勞 (피로) — fatigue; exhaustion

疲困 (피곤) — tiredness; weariness

疲弊 (피폐) — exhaustion; depletion (physical or institutional)

疲勞感 (피로감) — feeling of fatigue

精神疲勞 (정신 피로) — mental fatigue

In modern Mandarin, 疲 is productive mainly in compounds such as 疲劳, and rarely used alone in speech.

In classical Chinese, 疲 often implies systemic or moral exhaustion, such as the fatigue of a state, army, or people.

勞而不休則疲 — If one labors without rest, one becomes fatigued.

兵久戰則疲 — When soldiers fight for a long time, they become exhausted.

Related characters:

勞 — to labor; toil

倦 — weariness, listlessness

弊 — decay, deterioration (often paired with 疲)

Compared to 倦, which emphasizes mental listlessness, 疲 emphasizes physical depletion.