劳心

勞心
láoxīn
verb #35,495

Meanings

  1. 1 to do mental work; to labor with one's mind
  2. 2 to worry; to rack one's brains
  3. 3 the work of governing/planning, contrasted with manual labor

Examples

HSK 6
Háizi de shì ràng tā láoxīn le yíbèizi.
The children's affairs caused her a lifetime of worry.
HSK 7-9
Guǎnlǐ gōngzuò láoxīn yòu láolì.
Management work taxes both mind and body.

Tips

history
劳心 is paired with 劳力 ('manual labor') in Mencius's famous line 劳心者治人,劳力者治于人 - 'those who labor with the mind rule, those who labor with the body are ruled' (《孟子·滕文公上》). The split between mental and manual work has been quoted in Chinese political and educational debates for over two thousand years.

Stroke Order

劳 láo
心 xīn