疲於奔命

Chinese

		weary	in; at; to in; at; to; from; by; than; out of; surname	to rush about; to be kept busy; to issue an emergency order
trad. (疲於奔命)		疲	於	奔命
simp. (疲于奔命)		疲	于	奔命

Etymology

《左傳·成公七年》:

巫臣自晉遺二子書曰：「爾以讒慝貪惏事君，而多殺不辜，余必使爾罷於奔命以死。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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巫臣自晋遗二子书曰：「尔以谗慝贪惏事君，而多杀不辜，余必使尔罢于奔命以死。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE

Wūchén zì Jìn wèi èrzǐ shū yuē: “Ěr yǐ chántè tānlán shìjūn, ér duō shā bùgū, yú bì shǐ ěr pí yú bēnmìng yǐ sǐ.” [Pinyin]

Wuchen sent a letter to the two from Jin, in which it was written: "You have been serving the monarch with your slanderous counsels, evil deeds, and rapacious greed. You have killed many innocent people. I swear I will make you die restless and exhausted."

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): píyúbēnmìng

  (Zhuyin): ㄆㄧˊ ㄩˊ ㄅㄣ ㄇㄧㄥˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): pei⁴ jyu¹ ban¹ ming⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: píyúbēnmìng
    • Zhuyin: ㄆㄧˊ ㄩˊ ㄅㄣ ㄇㄧㄥˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: píyúbenmìng
    • Wade–Giles: pʻi²-yü²-pên¹-ming⁴
    • Yale: pí-yú-bēn-mìng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: pyiyubenminq
    • Palladius: пиюйбэньмин (pijujbɛnʹmin)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰi³⁵ y³⁵ pən⁵⁵ miŋ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: pei⁴ jyu¹ ban¹ ming⁶
    • Yale: pèih yū bān mihng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: pei⁴ jy¹ ban¹ ming⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: péi⁴ yu¹ ben¹ ming⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰei̯²¹ jyː⁵⁵ pɐn⁵⁵ mɪŋ²²/

Idiom

疲於奔命

1. to be tired and exhausted from constantly running around; to be tired to death with hustling and bustling

   • 中國農民有很大的潛伏力，只要組織和指揮得當，能使日本軍隊一天忙碌二十四小時，使之疲於奔命。 [MSC, trad.]
     中国农民有很大的潜伏力，只要组织和指挥得当，能使日本军队一天忙碌二十四小时，使之疲于奔命。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1938, 毛澤東 (Mao Zedong), 《論持久戰》 (On Protracted War), 《毛澤東選集》. English translation based on the Foreign Languages Press edition

     Zhōngguó nóngmín yǒu hěn dà de qiánfúlì, zhǐyào zǔzhī hé zhǐhuī dédàng, néng shǐ Rìběn jūnduì yītiān mánglù èrshísì xiǎoshí, shǐ zhī píyúbēnmìng. [Pinyin]

     The Chinese peasants have very great latent power; properly organized and directed, they can keep the Japanese army busy twenty-four hours a day and worry it to death.