好逸恶劳
好逸恶劳 (hào yì wù láo) literally means “love ease hate work” and expresses “shirk effort by preference”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.
Also searched as: hao yi wu lao, hao yi wu lao,好逸恶劳 meaning, 好逸恶劳 in english
Shirk effort by preference
Pronunciation: hào yì wù láo Literal meaning: Love ease hate work
Origin & Usage
To love (好) ease (逸) and hate (恶) toil (劳). The two verbs are the point: this is not laziness as a failing of will but as a preference, something the phrase presents as the ordinary human default rather than a vice peculiar to the person being described. That makes it a diagnosis more than an insult. Arguments about incentives and education turn on it, the assumption being that effort has to be built against the grain rather than simply expected.
Examples
English: "The team's productivity suffered from members who avoided challenging tasks"
Chinese: 团队中有人喜欢偷懒避难，影响了工作效率
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about life philosophy
莫名其妙
mò míng qí miào
Makes no sense
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一劳永逸
yī láo yǒng yì
Solve a problem once and for all
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以逸待劳
yǐ yì dài láo
Rested against the exhausted
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恶贯满盈
è guàn mǎn yíng
Accumulated evil deeds ripe for punishment
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近水楼台
jìn shuǐ lóu tái
Advantage from close connections
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未雨绸缪
wèi yǔ chóu móu
Prepare before problems arise
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引火烧身
yǐn huǒ shāo shēn
Bring trouble upon oneself
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隔岸观火
gé àn guān huǒ
Observe troubles from safe distance
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 好逸恶劳 mean in English?
好逸恶劳 (hào yì wù láo) literally translates to “Love ease hate work” and is used to express “Shirk effort by preference”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.
When is 好逸恶劳 used?
Situation: The team's productivity suffered from members who avoided challenging tasks
What is the pinyin for 好逸恶劳?
The pinyin pronunciation for 好逸恶劳 is “hào yì wù láo”.
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