赖

賴
lài
#1,363 most
frequent character
rely, poor, bilk, disclaim
verb
adjective

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

赖 has 负 carry-on-back as the meaning part; 束 is now empty but once was 𣏮 liè, the sound part. It first meant to take, then grew to profit, relying, reneging, and shameful.

赖 as a component in other characters

sound5 characters
懒籁濑癞獭

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Example Sentences

我总是依赖我的家人。
wǒ zǒngshì yīlài wǒde jiārén 。
I always rely on my family.
他的表现很赖，不值得信任。
tāde biǎoxiàn hěn lài ， bùzhídé xìnrèn 。
His performance is poor and not trustworthy.
我们不能赖别人，应该自己努力。
wǒmen bùnéng lài biérén ， yīnggāi zìjǐ nǔlì 。
We cannot rely on others; we should work hard ourselves.

Same Characters, Different Readings

赖Lai4
surname Lai, (Tw) (coll.) LINE messaging app
赖lài
rely, poor, bilk, disclaim

Words with similar meanings

依赖yīlài
depend
More formal way to indicate reliance on someone or something.
仰赖yǎnglài
count on
Suggests a more hopeful or trustful reliance.

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