Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ====== hàojìn: 耗尽 - To Exhaust, To Use Up, To Deplete ====== ===== Quick Summary ===== * **Keywords:** 耗尽, haojin, hao jin, Chinese word for exhaust, Chinese for use up, deplete in Chinese, 耗尽 meaning, 耗尽 vs 用完, how to use 耗尽, exhaust resources, run out of patience Chinese * **Summary:** Learn the powerful Chinese verb **耗尽 (hàojìn)**, which means to completely exhaust, use up, or deplete a resource. This page breaks down its meaning, cultural context, and practical usage for both tangible things like energy and money, and intangible concepts like patience and trust. Discover how `耗尽` differs from the more common `用完 (yòng wán)` and master its use through 10 detailed example sentences. ===== Core Meaning ===== * **Pinyin (with tone marks):** hàojìn * **Part of Speech:** Verb * **HSK Level:** HSK 6 * **Concise Definition:** To exhaust, use up, or deplete a resource completely. * **In a Nutshell:** `耗尽` is a strong, emphatic word that signifies the total consumption of something until nothing is left. Think of it as a well running completely dry or a battery hitting zero percent. It often carries a sense of finality and can imply a difficult or negative process. It's not just that something is "used up"; it has been thoroughly and completely expended. ===== Character Breakdown ===== * **耗 (hào):** This character means "to consume" or "to expend." The left side, `耒 (lěi)`, is a pictograph of an ancient plow, representing agriculture and resources. The right side, `毛 (máo)`, means fur or hair. Together, they create an image of resources (like grain or fur from a pelt) being slowly consumed or worn away. * **尽 (jìn):** This character means "to the end," "to finish," or "completely." It depicts a hand holding a brush cleaning out a vessel, symbolizing making something completely empty. * When combined, **耗 (consume) + 尽 (completely) = 耗尽 (hàojìn)**, which literally means "to consume until completely finished." ===== Cultural Context and Significance ===== * In Chinese culture, there is a strong emphasis on diligence, perseverance, and making the most of one's resources, whether they be time, money, or effort. The term `耗尽` taps into this by describing the ultimate state of expenditure. For example, the phrase `耗尽心血 (hàojìn xīnxuè)`, meaning to exhaust one's "heart's blood" or painstaking effort, is a high compliment for someone who has poured their entire being into a project, their work, or raising their family. It speaks to a cultural value of total dedication. * **Comparison to Western Concepts:** While an English speaker might say they're "running on empty" or "tapped out," these phrases can often imply a temporary state that can be refilled. `耗尽` carries a much stronger sense of finality and completeness. If you've `耗尽` your savings, it means they are truly gone, not just low. This reflects a certain gravity and emphasis on the consequences of total consumption. ===== Practical Usage in Modern China ===== * `耗尽` is a versatile word used in both formal and informal contexts, though it always adds a degree of seriousness or emphasis. * **Formal/Written Context:** It is frequently used in news reports, academic papers, and official documents, especially when discussing the depletion of natural resources. * e.g., `耗尽自然资源 (hàojìn zìrán zīyuán)` - to exhaust natural resources. * **Personal/Emotional Context:** In conversation, it's used to dramatically express the complete loss of an intangible quality. * e.g., `我的耐心被他耗尽了。(Wǒ de nàixīn bèi tā hàojìn le.)` - My patience has been completely exhausted by him. * **Physical and Mental State:** It describes a state of total physical or mental exhaustion. * e.g., `跑完马拉松后，他耗尽了所有力气。(Pǎo wán mǎlāsōng hòu, tā hàojìnle suǒyǒu lìqi.)` - After finishing the marathon, he had exhausted all his strength. ===== Example Sentences ===== * **Example 1:** * 经过几天的连续工作，我的精力已经**耗尽**了。 * Pinyin: Jīngguò jǐ tiān de liánxù gōngzuò, wǒ de jīnglì yǐjīng **hàojìn** le. * English: After several days of continuous work, my energy has been completely exhausted. * Analysis: A very common use case, describing the total depletion of one's physical or mental energy (`精力`). * **Example 2:** * 如果我们不开始节约，地球的资源总有一天会被**耗尽**。 * Pinyin: Rúguǒ wǒmen bù kāishǐ jiéyuē, dìqiú de zīyuán zǒng yǒu yī tiān huì bèi **hàojìn**. * English: If we don't start conserving, the Earth's resources will one day be depleted. * Analysis: This shows the formal usage of `耗尽` in the context of large-scale resource (`资源`) management. * **Example 3:** * 他为了治病，几乎**耗尽**了家里所有的积蓄。 * Pinyin: Tā wèile zhìbìng, jīhū **hàojìn** le jiālǐ suǒyǒu de jīxù. * English: In order to treat his illness, he used up almost all of the family's savings. * Analysis: Here, `耗尽` has a strong negative connotation, emphasizing the financial hardship and the totality of the loss of savings (`积蓄`). * **Example 4:** * 这场无休止的争吵**耗尽**了我对他最后的信任。 * Pinyin: Zhè chǎng wúxiūzhǐ de zhēngchǎo **hàojìn** le wǒ duì tā zuìhòu de xìnrèn. * English: This endless argument exhausted my last bit of trust in him. * Analysis: This example demonstrates using `耗尽` for an abstract concept like trust (`信任`). It implies the trust is completely gone and cannot be easily restored. * **Example 5:** * 创意工作者有时会感到自己的灵感被**耗尽**了。 * Pinyin: Chuàngyì gōngzuòzhě yǒushí huì gǎndào zìjǐ de línggǎn bèi **hàojìn** le. * English: Creative workers sometimes feel that their inspiration has been used up. * Analysis: `灵感 (línggǎn)` or inspiration is another abstract noun that works perfectly with `耗尽`. * **Example 6:** * 手机电量即将**耗尽**，我得马上充电。 * Pinyin: Shǒujī diànliàng jíjiāng **hàojìn**, wǒ děi mǎshàng chōngdiàn. * English: The phone's battery is about to be completely drained, I need to charge it right away. * Analysis: A modern, everyday example. While you could say `快没电了 (kuài méi diàn le)`, using `耗尽` sounds slightly more formal or technical, like a system notification. * **Example 7:** * 为了完成这个项目，整个团队**耗尽**了心血。 * Pinyin: Wèile wánchéng zhège xiàngmù, zhěnggè tuánduì **hàojìn** le xīnxuè. * English: To complete this project, the entire team poured out their heart and soul (lit: exhausted their heart's blood). * Analysis: This uses the common and powerful collocation `耗尽心血 (hàojìn xīnxuè)`, expressing extreme dedication and effort. * **Example 8:** * 救援队在**耗尽**所有方法后，才不得不放弃搜救。 * Pinyin: Jiùyuán duì zài **hàojìn** suǒyǒu fāngfǎ hòu, cái bùdébù fàngqì sōujiù. * English: Only after exhausting all possible methods did the rescue team have to give up the search. * Analysis: This shows `耗尽` applied to methods or options (`方法`), implying every single possibility was tried. * **Example 9:** * 不要把你的时间**耗尽**在无意义的事情上。 * Pinyin: Búyào bǎ nǐ de shíjiān **hàojìn** zài wú yìyì de shìqíng shàng. * English: Don't exhaust your time on meaningless things. * Analysis: A great example of giving advice. It frames time (`时间`) as a finite resource that can be completely used up or wasted. * **Example 10:** * 反复的失败**耗尽**了他的热情和动力。 * Pinyin: Fǎnfù de shībài **hàojìn** le tā de rèqíng hé dònglì. * English: Repeated failures depleted his passion and motivation. * Analysis: This shows how `耗尽` can be used for emotional states like passion (`热情`) and motivation (`动力`). ===== Nuances and Common Mistakes ===== * **`耗尽 (hàojìn)` vs. `用完 (yòng wán)`** * This is the most common point of confusion for learners. Both can mean "to use up," but they have different connotations. * **`用完 (yòng wán)`:** Neutral, objective, and common. It simply states that something has been finished. * Correct: `我把牛奶用完了。(Wǒ bǎ niúnǎi yòng wán le.)` - I used up the milk. (A simple fact). * Incorrect: `我把牛奶耗尽了。` - This sounds overly dramatic, as if drinking the milk was a long and arduous process. * **`耗尽 (hàojìn)`:** Emphatic and often negative. It implies a process of consumption and a state of complete depletion, often with effort or negative consequences. * Correct: `我们耗尽了所有燃料。(Wǒmen hàojìnle suǒyǒu ránliào.)` - We exhausted all our fuel. (Implies a serious situation, perhaps being stranded). * In contrast, `我们用完了所有燃料` is also correct but less dramatic. * **Rule of thumb:** If you can replace "used up" with "completely exhausted" or "totally depleted" and it adds a sense of drama or seriousness, `耗尽` is probably appropriate. For everyday items like milk, sugar, or paper, stick with `用完`. ===== Related Terms and Concepts ===== * * [[用完]] (yòng wán) - The neutral, common way to say "to use up." The most important term to distinguish from `耗尽`. * * [[枯竭]] (kūjié) - To be dried up; exhausted. More literary than `耗尽`, often used for rivers, wells, resources, or inspiration. * * [[精疲力尽]] (jīng pí lì jìn) - A four-character idiom (chengyu) describing the state of being utterly exhausted. This is what a person feels when their energy has been `耗尽`. * * [[消耗]] (xiāohào) - To consume; to use up. This verb focuses more on the *process* of consumption or expenditure itself, whereas `耗尽` focuses on the *result* of being completely gone. * * [[浪费]] (làngfèi) - To waste. If you `耗尽` a resource on something useless, you are `浪费`-ing it. * * [[心血]] (xīnxuè) - Lit. "heart's blood." A noun meaning painstaking care or monumental effort. It is an abstract concept that is often `耗尽`. * * [[资源]] (zīyuán) - Resources (natural, financial, etc.). A common object for the verb `耗尽`. * * [[筋疲力尽]] (jīn pí lì jìn) - A synonym for `精疲力尽`, meaning "body exhausted, strength gone." Describes a state of extreme physical fatigue.