無聊

Chinese

		not have	to chat; to have a chat; to kill time
trad. (無聊)		無	聊
simp. (无聊)		无	聊

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): wúliáo

  (Zhuyin): ㄨˊ ㄌㄧㄠˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): mou⁴ liu⁴
• Gan (Wiktionary): u⁴ lieu⁴
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): mò-liàu / vù-liàu
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): bû-liâu / bô-liâu

  (Teochew, Peng'im): bho⁵ liao⁵

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: wúliáo
    • Zhuyin: ㄨˊ ㄌㄧㄠˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: wúliáo
    • Wade–Giles: wu²-liao²
    • Yale: wú-lyáu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wuliau
    • Palladius: уляо (uljao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /u³⁵ li̯ɑʊ̯³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: mou⁴ liu⁴
    • Yale: mòuh lìuh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: mou⁴ liu⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: mou⁴ liu⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mou̯²¹ liːu̯²¹/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: u⁴ lieu⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /u³⁵ liɛu³⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mò-liàu / vù-liàu
    • Hakka Romanization System: mo^ˇ liau^ˇ / vu^ˇ liau^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: mo² liau² / vu² liau²
    • Sinological IPA: /mo¹¹ li̯au̯¹¹/, /vu¹¹ li̯au̯¹¹/
  • (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: vù-liàu
    • Hakka Romanization System: vu^ˇ liau^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: vu² liau²
    • Sinological IPA: /vu¹¹ li̯au̯¹¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bû-liâu
    • Tâi-lô: bû-liâu
    • Phofsit Daibuun: buliaau
    • Sinological IPA (Taipei): /bu²⁴⁻¹¹ liau²⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /bu²³⁻³³ liau²³/
    • Sinological IPA (Zhangzhou): /bu¹³⁻²² liau¹³/
    • Sinological IPA (Xiamen, Quanzhou): /bu²⁴⁻²² liau²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Singapore)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bô-liâu
    • Tâi-lô: bô-liâu
    • Phofsit Daibuun: boiliaau
    • Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /bɤ²³⁻³³ liau²³/
    • Sinological IPA (Taipei): /bo²⁴⁻¹¹ liau²⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Singapore): /bo²⁴⁻²¹ liau²⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: bho⁵ liao⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: bô liâu
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /bo⁵⁵⁻¹¹ liau⁵⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: mju lew

Rime
Character	無	聊
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)	來 (37)
Final (韻)	虞 (24)	蕭 (93)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open
Division (等)	III	IV
Fanqie	武夫切	落蕭切
Baxter	mju	lew
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/mɨo/	/leu/
Pan Wuyun	/mio/	/leu/
Shao Rongfen	/mio/	/leu/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/muə̆/	/lɛw/
Li Rong	/mio/	/leu/
Wang Li	/mĭu/	/lieu/
Bernhard Karlgren	/mi̯u/	/lieu/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	wú	liáo
Expected Cantonese Reflex	mou4	liu4

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*ma  [r]ˤiw/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ma  m·rɯːw/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	無	聊
Reading #	1/3	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	wú	liáo
Middle Chinese	‹ mju ›	‹ lew ›
Old Chinese	/*ma/	/*[r]ˁiw/
English	not have	rely on
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	無	聊
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	13117	8878
Phonetic component	無	卯
Rime group	魚	幽
Rime subdivision	0	2
Corresponding MC rime	無	聊
Old Chinese	/*ma/	/*m·rɯːw/

Adjective

無聊

1. bored (suffering from boredom)

   我沒什麼事幹，正無聊著。 [MSC, trad.]
   我没什么事干，正无聊着。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ méi shénme shì gàn, zhèng wúliáo zhe. [Pinyin]

   I haven't been up to much, just being bored.

2. boring; tedious; drab; dull

   這部電影很無聊。 [MSC, trad.]
   这部电影很无聊。 [MSC, simp.]

   Zhè bù diànyǐng hěn wúliáo. [Pinyin]

   This movie is boring.

   連這種事兒也吵得起來，你們兩個真無聊。 [MSC, trad.]
   连这种事儿也吵得起来，你们两个真无聊。 [MSC, simp.]

   Lián zhèi zhǒng shìr yě chǎo de qǐlái, nǐmen liǎng ge zhēn wúliáo. [Pinyin]

   Even this kind of thing can get you into an argument. You two are so tedious.

Synonyms

• (bored): (literary) 無賴／无赖 (wúlài), (Hokkien) 無想俗／无想俗, (Cantonese) 悶／闷 (mèn)
• (boring):

edit

• 乏味 (fáwèi)
• 乾燥 / 干燥 (gānzào)
• 乾癟 / 干瘪 (gānbiě) (of writing)
• 俗 (Hokkien, Teochew)
• 單一 / 单一 (dānyī)
• 單調 / 单调 (dāndiào)
• 枯燥 (kūzào)
• 枯索 (kūsuǒ) (literary)
• 沒趣 / 没趣 (méiqù)
• 無俗 / 无俗 (Quanzhou Hokkien, Xiamen Hokkien)
• 無味 / 无味 (wúwèi)
• 無局 / 无局 (Quanzhou Hokkien, Xiamen Hokkien)
• 無想俗 / 无想俗 (Quanzhou Hokkien)
• 無藝 / 无艺 (Xiamen Hokkien, Zhangzhou Hokkien, Taiwanese Hokkien)
• 無藝量 / 无艺量 (Xiamen Hokkien, Taiwanese Hokkien)
• 無趣 / 无趣 (wúqù)

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “boring”): 有趣 (yǒuqù), 有意思 (yǒuyìsi)

Descendants

• English: bo liao

Sino-Xenic (無聊):

• → Japanese: 無聊(ぶりょう) (buryō)
• → Korean: 무료(無聊) (muryo)
• → Vietnamese: vô liêu (無聊)

Verb

無聊 (literary)

1. (obsolete) to have no way out; to have no alternative

   • 今王始詐病，及覺，見責急，愈益閉，恐上誅之，計乃無聊。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     今王始诈病，及觉，见责急，愈益闭，恐上诛之，计乃无聊。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Jīn wáng shǐ zhàbìng, jí jiào, jiànzé jí, yùyì bì, kǒng shàng zhū zhī, jì nǎi wúliáo. [Pinyin]

     Now, first the King feigned to be ill, [but] when this was revealed, he was fiercely investigated and became more and more reticent, and when he feared that the Sovereign would execute him, [his] plans only then turned out to have no way out.

2. (archaic) to be impoverished with nothing to rely on

   • 與子別後，益復無聊。上念老母，臨年被戮；妻子無辜，並為鯨鯢。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     与子别后，益复无聊。上念老母，临年被戮；妻子无辜，并为鲸鲵。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: circa early 1^st century B.C.E., Li Ling,《答蘇武書》, translation based on Herbert A. Giles's work, 1922.

     Yǔ zǐ bié hòu, yì fù wúliáo. Shàng niàn lǎomǔ, línnián bèi lù; qīzǐ wúgū, bìng wéi jīngní. [Pinyin]

     The day of thy departure left me disconsolate indeed. I thought of my aged mother butchered upon the threshold of the grave. I thought of my innocent wife and child, condemned to the same cruel fate.

3. to suffer from loneliness and/or spiritual emptiness

   • 其後二年，余久卧病無聊，乃使人復葺南閤子，其制稍異於前。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     其后二年，余久卧病无聊，乃使人复葺南阁子，其制稍异于前。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: 1539, Gui Youguang, 《項脊軒志》 (Reminiscences of Studio Xiangji)

     Qíhòu èr nián, yú jiǔ wòbìng wúliáo, nǎi shǐ rén fù qì nán gézi, qí zhì shāo yìyú qián. [Pinyin]

     Another two years later, I fell ill and lay in bed for a long time. As I had nothing to do, I had my study repaired and renovated. The room was slightly different from before.

Japanese

Kanji in this term
無	聊
ぶ Grade: 4	りょう Hyōgai
on'yomi

Adjective

無(ぶ)聊(りょう) • (buryō) -na (adnominal 無(ぶ)聊(りょう)な (buryō na), adverbial 無(ぶ)聊(りょう)に (buryō ni))

1. bored

Inflection

Inflection of 無聊

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	無聊だろ	ぶりょうだろ	buryō daro
Continuative (連用形)	無聊で	ぶりょうで	buryō de
Terminal (終止形)	無聊だ	ぶりょうだ	buryō da
Attributive (連体形)	無聊な	ぶりょうな	buryō na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	無聊なら	ぶりょうなら	buryō nara
Imperative (命令形)	無聊であれ	ぶりょうであれ	buryō de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	無聊ではない 無聊じゃない	ぶりょうではない ぶりょうじゃない	buryō de wa nai buryō ja nai
Informal past	無聊だった	ぶりょうだった	buryō datta
Informal negative past	無聊ではなかった 無聊じゃなかった	ぶりょうではなかった ぶりょうじゃなかった	buryō de wa nakatta buryō ja nakatta
Formal	無聊です	ぶりょうです	buryō desu
Formal negative	無聊ではありません 無聊じゃありません	ぶりょうではありません ぶりょうじゃありません	buryō de wa arimasen buryō ja arimasen
Formal past	無聊でした	ぶりょうでした	buryō deshita
Formal negative past	無聊ではありませんでした 無聊じゃありませんでした	ぶりょうではありませんでした ぶりょうじゃありませんでした	buryō de wa arimasen deshita buryō ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	無聊で	ぶりょうで	buryō de
Conditional	無聊なら（ば）	ぶりょうなら（ば）	buryō nara (ba)
Provisional	無聊だったら	ぶりょうだったら	buryō dattara
Volitional	無聊だろう	ぶりょうだろう	buryō darō
Adverbial	無聊に	ぶりょうに	buryō ni
Degree	無聊さ	ぶりょうさ	buryōsa

Noun

無(ぶ)聊(りょう) • (buryō) 

1. ennui, tedium
   • 1932, 魯迅, 阿Ｑ正伝:

     もし相手(あいて)が羊(ヒツジ)のようなものだったら、彼(かれ)はかえって勝利(しょうり)の無聊(ぶりょう)を感(かん)じる。

     Moshi aite ga hitsuji no yō na mono dattara, kare wa kaette shōri no buryō o kanjiru.

     Conversely, if his opponent is too weak, he will feel tedium in winning.

References

• “無^▲聊”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026