累
lèi · HSK 1
tired
😩 田 (field) stacked over 糸 (silk) — heavy fieldwork spinning thread wears you out
累 (lèi) means tired or weary. The character pairs 田 (field) on top with 糸 (silk thread) below — the etymology evokes the exhausting labor of farming and silk-spinning piling up on a worker.
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.'