赖

頼
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

我总是依赖朋友的帮助。
wǒ zǒngshì yīlài péngyǒu de bāngzhù 。
I always rely on my friends' help.
他负债累累，生活得很拮据。
tā fùzhài léiléi ， shēnghuó déhěn jiéjū 。
He is heavily in debt and lives very poorly.
我们不能依赖运气成功。
wǒmen bùnéng yīlài yùnqì chénggōng 。
We cannot rely on luck to succeed.

Same Characters, Different Readings

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

Words with similar meanings

依靠yīkào
depend
More formal and implies a strong support or reliance.
仰赖yǎnglài
depend on
Similar meaning but can imply a more passive type of reliance.

Homophones

赖lài
rely, poor, bilk, disclaim

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