How to Say ‘Was the trip tiring?’ in Simplified Chinese
路上累不累？
lù shàng lèi bù lèi
[loo shahng lay boo lay]
💬 Usage Tip: [累不累] is a very common Chinese question pattern: adjective + [不] + the same adjective. You can reuse it with lots of everyday states, like [忙不忙？] or [冷不冷？]
🇨🇳 In China: [路上累不累？] is a very typical caring thing for family to ask right after you arrive. It shows concern without being overly formal.
Phrase Breakdown
路上
lù shàng
on the way; during the journey
Refers to while traveling from one place to another.
路上堵车了吗？
Was there traffic on the way?
Words in this phrase
路
lù
[loo]
road; route
Part of 路上, referring to the journey or route taken.
“路上累不累？”里的“路”是指来这里的路程。
In “Was the trip tiring?”, “路” refers to the journey here.
上
shàng
[shahng]
on; upon; on the way
With 路, it means during the trip or on the road.
“路上累不累？”里的“上”表示在路途中。
In “Was the trip tiring?”, “上” means during the trip.
累
lèi
[lay]
tired; exhausting
Repeated in the A-not-A pattern to ask yes-no questions naturally in Chinese.
“路上累不累？”后面的“累”重复前面的词来提问。
In “Was the trip tiring?”, the second “累” repeats the earlier word to form the question.
不
bù
[boo]
not
In the A-not-A question pattern, 不 links two opposite possibilities.
“路上累不累？”里的“不”构成“累不累”这种问法。
In “Was the trip tiring?”, “不” forms the “tired or not tired” question pattern.
累
lèi
[lay]
tired; exhausting
Repeated in the A-not-A pattern to ask yes-no questions naturally in Chinese.
“路上累不累？”后面的“累”重复前面的词来提问。
In “Was the trip tiring?”, the second “累” repeats the earlier word to form the question.
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