劳累
láo lèi · HSK 7
to toil
😪 劳 = labor/toil + 累 = weary; toiling until worn out
劳 carries the sense of hard labor and 累 means weary or burdened, so 劳累 stacks toil onto fatigue: worn out from overwork. The láo sound also opens 劳动 (labor), a handy verbal anchor.
累 — field 田 on top + silk 糸 below
Originally written with multiple 田 stacked, depicting piled-up fields or bundles, suggesting accumulation. Later simplified to one 田 over 糸 (silk threads), reinforcing the idea of threads tied together in heaps. From 'pile up' came the senses 'burden,' 'tired,' and 'involve.'