fèi jìn: 费劲 - Strenuous, Toilsome, Demanding

• Keywords: 费劲, feijin, what does feijin mean, Chinese for difficult, Chinese for strenuous, Chinese for effortful, 累 vs 费劲, 难 vs 费劲, troublesome in Chinese, demanding in Chinese.
• Summary: Learn the essential Chinese word 费劲 (fèi jìn), which describes tasks that are strenuous, toilsome, or demand a great deal of effort. This page breaks down the meaning of `费劲`, comparing it to similar words like `难 (nán)` (difficult) and `累 (lèi)` (tired), and provides over 10 practical example sentences. Discover how to use `费劲` to talk about physically demanding jobs, mentally draining conversations, and any situation that takes a lot of energy to get through.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): fèi jìn
• Part of Speech: Adjective / Verb phrase (verb-object construction)
• HSK Level: HSK 4
• Concise Definition: Requiring a lot of effort; strenuous; toilsome.
• In a Nutshell: `费劲` describes an activity or process that “costs a lot of strength.” It's the feeling you get when something is physically or mentally draining. Think of carrying a heavy suitcase up five flights of stairs, trying to assemble IKEA furniture with confusing instructions, or explaining a complex topic to someone who just isn't getting it. The focus is on the high expenditure of energy required, not necessarily the complexity of the task itself.

• 费 (fèi): This character means “to spend,” “to cost,” or “to expend.” You'll see it in words like `花费 (huāfèi)` (to spend money/time) and `学费 (xuéfèi)` (tuition fee). It implies a resource is being used up.
• 劲 (jìn): This character means “strength,” “energy,” or “effort.” It refers to physical or mental power. A common phrase is `使劲 (shǐjìn)` (to exert all one's strength).
• Together, 费劲 (fèi jìn) literally means “to expend strength.” This combination perfectly captures the idea of an activity that drains your energy, making it strenuous or laborious.

`费劲` is a highly practical and common term in daily Chinese life, reflecting a pragmatic focus on the effort involved in tasks. While English might use a general term like “hard” or “difficult,” Chinese often distinguishes between different types of difficulty. A key cultural comparison is between `费劲 (fèi jìn)` and the English word “difficult.” A complex math problem is “difficult” (`难 - nán`) because it requires high intelligence or skill. However, digging a ditch is not intellectually difficult, but it is incredibly `费劲` because it requires immense physical effort. `费劲` isolates the cost of *energy* and *effort*, whereas “difficult” often conflates effort with complexity. This distinction ties into the cultural value of 吃苦耐劳 (chī kǔ nài láo) — “to eat bitterness and endure hardship.” Chinese culture often praises the willingness to do `费劲` things without complaint. So, while calling a task `费劲` is a statement of fact (and often a mild complaint), the ability to complete such a task is a respected trait.

`费劲` is a very common, informal word used in everyday conversation. You'll hear it at home, among friends, and at the office.

• Physical Tasks: It's frequently used to describe manual labor or physical exertion.
  • “搬家太费劲了！” (Bānjiā tài fèijìn le!) - “Moving is so exhausting!”
• Mental & Emotional Tasks: It's also used for tasks that are mentally or emotionally draining.
  • “跟他解释这个问题真费劲，他就是不明白。” (Gēn tā jiěshì zhège wèntí zhēn fèijìn, tā jiùshì bù míngbai.) - “It's so draining explaining this to him, he just doesn't get it.”
• As a Verb-Object Phrase: `费劲` can be split. You can say you “spent a lot of effort” (`费了很大劲 - fèi le hěn dà jìn`). This is a very native way of speaking.
  • “我费了九牛二虎之力才把工作做完。” (Wǒ fèi le jiǔ niú èr hǔ zhī lì cái bǎ gōngzuò zuò wán.) - “I spent a tremendous amount of effort (lit. the strength of nine bulls and two tigers) to finish the work.”

Its connotation is generally negative or neutral. It's a statement about the high cost of effort, so it's often used in complaints, expressions of frustration, or statements of sympathy.

• Example 1:
  • 搬这个箱子真费劲。
  • Pinyin: Bān zhège xiāngzi zhēn fèijìn.
  • English: Moving this box is really strenuous.
  • Analysis: A classic example of `费劲` used for a physically demanding task.
• Example 2:
  • 我费了半天劲才找到我的钥匙。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ fèile bàntiān jìn cái zhǎodào wǒ de yàoshi.
  • English: I spent a ton of effort (lit. half a day's effort) to finally find my keys.
  • Analysis: This shows the separable verb structure `费 + [amount] + 劲`. `半天 (bàntiān)` is a common, informal way to say “a long time” or “a lot of effort.”
• Example 3:
  • 跟他沟通太费劲了，他总是不听别人说话。
  • Pinyin: Gēn tā gōutōng tài fèijìn le, tā zǒngshì bù tīng biérén shuōhuà.
  • English: Communicating with him is so draining; he never listens to others.
  • Analysis: Here, `费劲` describes an emotionally or mentally taxing activity.
• Example 4:
  • 这个老软件用起来很费劲，我们应该更新了。
  • Pinyin: Zhège lǎo ruǎnjiàn yòng qǐlái hěn fèijìn, wǒmen yīnggāi gēngxīn le.
  • English: This old software is a pain to use; we should update it.
  • Analysis: This applies the concept to technology. The software isn't “difficult” in a complex way, but it's slow, clumsy, and requires extra effort to get things done.
• Example 5:
  • 你不用费劲去说服他了，他已经决定了。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ búyòng fèijìn qù shuōfú tā le, tā yǐjīng juédìng le.
  • English: You don't need to waste your effort trying to persuade him; he's already made up his mind.
  • Analysis: This example shows `费劲` used as “wasting effort” in a negative command.
• Example 6:
  • 学习一门新语言一开始会很费劲，但后来就好了。
  • Pinyin: Xuéxí yì mén xīn yǔyán yì kāishǐ huì hěn fèijìn, dàn hòulái jiù hǎo le.
  • English: Learning a new language can be very laborious at first, but it gets better later on.
  • Analysis: Describes the mental energy required for a long-term project like language learning.
• Example 7:
  • 组装这个书架比我想象的要费劲得多。
  • Pinyin: Zǔzhuāng zhège shūjià bǐ wǒ xiǎngxiàng de yào fèijìn de duō.
  • English: Assembling this bookshelf was much more strenuous than I imagined.
  • Analysis: A comparative structure showing that a task required more effort than expected.
• Example 8:
  • 为什么走这条路？太费劲了，我们应该开车。
  • Pinyin: Wèishénme zǒu zhè tiáo lù? Tài fèijìn le, wǒmen yīnggāi kāichē.
  • English: Why are we walking this way? It's too much effort, we should drive.
  • Analysis: A common complaint, where `费劲` means “requiring too much physical effort.”
• Example 9:
  • 我觉得做饭不费劲，反而很放松。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ juéde zuòfàn bù fèijìn, fǎn'ér hěn fàngsōng.
  • English: I don't think cooking is strenuous; on the contrary, it's very relaxing.
  • Analysis: This shows the negative form `不费劲` to mean “effortless.”
• Example 10:
  • 为了看懂这本哲学书，我可费了不少劲。
  • Pinyin: Wèile kàn dǒng zhè běn zhéxué shū, wǒ kě fèile bùshǎo jìn.
  • English: In order to understand this philosophy book, I really had to put in a lot of effort.
  • Analysis: Another example of the separable structure `费了 + 不少 + 劲`, emphasizing the significant mental energy spent. The `可 (kě)` adds emphasis.

The most common mistake for English speakers is confusing `费劲` with `难 (nán)` and `累 (lèi)`.

• `费劲 (fèi jìn)` vs. `难 (nán)` (Difficult):
  • `难` refers to inherent difficulty, complexity, or requiring a special skill. A test question is `难`.
  • `费劲` refers to the expenditure of effort. A task can be simple but `费劲`.
  • Example: “This math problem is very difficult” → “这道数学题很难 (hěn nán).” (Correct)
  • Less Idiomatic: “这道数学题很费劲 (hěn fèijìn).” This is less common because it focuses on the effort of solving it, not the problem's nature. It's better to say: “解决这道题很费劲” (Solving this problem is very strenuous). The focus shifts from the noun (problem) to the verb (solving).
• `费劲 (fèi jìn)` vs. `累 (lèi)` (Tired):
  • `费劲` describes the task. It is the cause.
  • `累` describes the person. It is the effect.
  • Correct: “这个工作很费劲，所以现在我很累。” (Zhège gōngzuò hěn fèijìn, suǒyǐ xiànzài wǒ hěn lèi.) - “This job is very strenuous, so now I am very tired.”
  • Incorrect: “这个工作很累。” (This job is very tired.) This is grammatically awkward in Chinese, just as it is in English. You might hear people say it colloquially, but the correct word for the task is `费劲` or `累人 (lèirén)` (tiring).

• 累 (lèi) - Related Result: The feeling of being “tired,” which is often the result of doing a `费劲` activity.
• 难 (nán) - Similar but Different: Means “difficult,” focusing on the complexity or skill required, not just the physical or mental energy spent.
• 辛苦 (xīnkǔ) - Synonym: Means “hard,” “laborious.” It often carries a connotation of appreciation or sympathy for someone's hard work. You say “你辛苦了 (nǐ xīnkǔ le)” to thank someone, but not “你费劲了”.
• 麻烦 (máfan) - Synonym: Means “troublesome” or “inconvenient.” `麻烦` often implies complexity involving multiple steps or other people, while `费劲` focuses more on the raw effort.
• 吃力 (chīlì) - Synonym: Very close to `费劲`, literally “to eat strength.” It emphasizes the feeling of strain while performing an action, suggesting one is struggling to keep up.
• 费心 (fèixīn) - Related Concept: “To expend mental effort; to be concerned about.” This is specifically for mental or emotional effort, often when you do something for someone else (e.g., “Thanks for your trouble/care”).
• 费时 (fèishí) - Related Concept: “Time-consuming.” A `费劲` task is often also `费时`.
• 使劲 (shǐjìn) - Related Action: “To exert all one's strength.” This is the action you take when doing something `费劲`.