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无聊 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
Hanzi
Pinyin
English
Tags
无聊
wúliáo
bored
HSK 4, a, 15 strokes, rank #1498, Medium
无聊
wúliáo
boring
HSK 4, a, 15 strokes, rank #1498, Medium
无聊
wúliáo
senseless
HSK 4, a, 15 strokes, rank #1498, Medium
wúliáo(wu2liao2)wu liao T2
1bored
2boring
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March 24, 2026
无聊(無聊)wúliáo(wu2liao2)
无聊 (wú liáo) refers to a state of being bored or feeling that something is uninteresting or pointless. It can describe both a person's feelings and activities that lack engagement or excitement, commonly used in casual conversations.
Strokes15Frequency#1498DifficultyMedium
Cultural note
In Chinese culture, expressing boredom is often tied to social expectations; being busy is valued, and admitting to being bored can imply a lack of productivity or engagement.
Memory tip
Imagine a person saying 'woo' while yawning, showing they're bored. The character 无 (wú) looks like a 'no' sign, indicating absence, while 聊 (liáo) can remind you of 'talk,' suggesting that without engaging talk, one feels bored.
Meanings of 无聊
wúliáo(wu2liao2)
1bored
2boring
Exercise 1 of 2
By ear
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About 无聊
无聊Simplified
無聊Traditional
15Strokes
—Radical
形容词xíngróngcíadjective (adj.)Part of Speech
#1498Frequency Rank
HSK 2.0L4HSK 3.0L4IntermediateTOCFLL4HSKKL2CEFRB1
Podcast: 无聊
Podcast: 无聊
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AI study notes for 无聊
Quick Contrast
无趣 (wúqù) - use 无聊 when emphasizing personal feelings of boredom, while 无趣 focuses more on the lack of interest in an activity or thing.
Usage Notes
Be careful when using 无聊 in formal contexts, as it is typically informal. Common collocations include '无聊的事情' (boring things) and '无聊的生活' (boring life). Remember to use the correct tones to avoid confusion with other words.
HSK Study Tips
As an HSK 4 word, 无聊 connects well with other emotional descriptors and adjectives. Focus on using it in conversational contexts and pairing it with verbs like '觉得' (to feel) or '让' (to make) to express sentiments.
Common Mistakes
Learners often confuse 无聊 with 兴奋 (xīng fèn, excited) due to tonal similarities. For example, saying '我觉得无聊' (I feel excited) is incorrect; it should be '我觉得无聊' (I feel bored).
AI-enhanced 2026-03-24
Pronunciation of 无聊
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无聊 (wú liáo) refers to a state of being bored or feeling that something is uninteresting or pointless. It can describe both a person's feelings and activities that lack engagement or excitement, commonly used in casual conversations.
When to use 无聊
Be careful when using 无聊 in formal contexts, as it is typically informal. Common collocations include '无聊的事情' (boring things) and '无聊的生活' (boring life). Remember to use the correct tones to avoid confusion with other words.
无聊 or something close to it
无趣 (wúqù) - use 无聊 when emphasizing personal feelings of boredom, while 无趣 focuses more on the lack of interest in an activity or thing.
What learners get wrong
Learners often confuse 无聊 with 兴奋 (xīng fèn, excited) due to tonal similarities. For example, saying '我觉得无聊' (I feel excited) is incorrect; it should be '我觉得无聊' (I feel bored).
Write 无聊
无
聊
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Grammar patterns of 无聊
无聊 functions as an adjective. In Chinese it behaves like a stative verb: place it directly after the subject without 是 (我很高，not 我是高). Use 不 to negate (不高) and pair it with 很 in plain affirmative sentences. It carries 3 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.
Exercise 1 of 4
Fill the gap
Type the missing word. Pinyin works; then pick the character.
他喋喋不休地说着某个____的电视连续剧。
He was carrying on about some stupid television series.
Example sentences for 无聊 (10)
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1
他喋喋不休地说着某个无聊的电视连续剧。
tā dié dié bù Xiū dì shuō zhe mǒu gè wúliáo de diànshì liánxùjù。
He was carrying on about some stupid television series.
