能 者 多 劳

néng zhě duō láodictionary entry

(idiom) it's the most capable people who do the most work (intended as consolation for the overworked, or flattery when making a request etc)

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-46f6af54d6ed0c7a. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

能者多勞 能者多劳 [neng2 zhe3 duo1 lao2] /(idiom) it's the most capable people who do the most work (intended as consolation for the overworked, or flattery when making a request etc)/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 能者多勞

能
néng
can / to be able to / might possibly / ability / (physics) energy
Néng
surname Neng
者
zhě
(after a verb or adjective) one who (is) ... / (after a noun) person involved in ... / -er / -ist / (used after a number or 後|后[hòu] or 前[qián] to refer to sth mentioned previously) / (used after a term, to mark a pause before defining the term) / (old) (used at the end of a command) / (old) this
多
duō
many / much / more / a lot of / too many / in excess / (after a numeral) ... odd / how (to what extent) (Taiwan pr. [duó]) / (bound form) multi- / poly-
劳
láo
(bound form) to toil / labor / (bound form) laborer / (bound form) meritorious deed / (bound form) fatigue / to put sb to the trouble (of doing sth) / (bound form) to express appreciation for sb's efforts (Taiwan pr. [lào])
Láo
surname Lao

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.