hek3 lik6吃力
Jyutpinghek3 lik6
Yalehek lihk
Definition
Strenuous, arduous, or requiring a great deal of physical or mental effort.
colloquialdescriptionsdaily actions
How it's used
While the written form 吃力 is understood, Cantonese speakers almost exclusively use the character 食 to represent the sound in this context. It functions as a descriptive adjective for tasks that drain your energy or patience. It is frequently used to describe physical labor or complex mental tasks that leave one feeling exhausted.
Related words
Common phrases
to undertake a thankless task
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 費力, which focuses more on the expenditure of effort itself, whereas 食力 emphasizes the feeling of being drained or the difficulty of the task being performed.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
