懈 (xiè) - slack, lax, negligent, remiss — describes a state

懈Tone 4

xiè ｜ 16 strokes ｜ radical:

想信

懈 · xiè

slack, lax, negligent, remiss — describes a state of being loose, relaxed in discipline, or lacking diligence.

slack, lax, negligent, remiss — describes a state

Usage highlights

slack offpersevere unremittinglyrelax vigilancelax disciplinenegligent attitudeunremitting efforts

Synonyms

  • 懒— lazy, indolent
  • 怠— idle, neglectful
  • 松— loose, relaxed

Antonyms

  • 勤— diligent, industrious
  • 奋— energetic, striving
  • 谨— cautious, careful

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He never slackens in his work (不懈怠).
  • She perseveres tirelessly (坚持不懈).
  • The team's defense became lax (防守松懈).
  • He was negligent in his duties (懈怠职责).

Collocations

  • slack off(懈怠)
  • persevere unremittingly(不懈)
  • relax vigilance(松懈警惕)
  • lax discipline(纪律松懈)
  • negligent attitude(懈怠态度)
  • unremitting efforts(不懈努力)

Idioms

  • Persevere unremittingly(坚持不懈)
  • Never slacken(常备不懈)
  • Unyielding and unremitting(孜孜不懈)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Confucian ethics, diligence and conscientiousness are highly valued; 懈 represents the antithesis.
  • Often used in military or disciplinary contexts to warn against complacency.
  • Commonly appears in motivational phrases encouraging persistence.

FAQ