劳 láo to toil; labor; laborer
Made up of [力 lì strength radical 19, 艹 cǎo grass; herb radical 140, 冖 mì cover; crown radical 14]Made with 7 strokes.
The original pictograph was a person laboring inside under the light of many fires. The original 'fires' have become 'grass' but maintain the implication of hard work
Related characters
Also uses 力 lì component: 边 biān (side) 动 dòng (to use) ; 功 gōng (accomplishment) ; 咖 kā (coffee) ; 历 lì (to experience) ; 另 lìng (other) ; 男 nán (male) ; 穷 qióng (exhausted) ; 苏 sū (revive) ; 为 wèi (do) ; 务 wù (affair)
Also uses 艹 cǎo component: 菜 cài (vegetable) 草 cǎo (grass) ; 茶 chá (tea) ; 懂 dǒng (to understand) ; 花 huā (flower) ; 节 jié (joint) ; 苦 kǔ (bitter) ; 蓝 lán (blue) ; 满 mǎn (to fill) ; 猫 māo (cat) ; 蒙 měng (Mongol) ; 莫 mò (do not) ; 苹 píng (apple) ; 葡 pú (grape) ; 前 qián (front) ; 若 ruò (to seem) ; 苏 sū (revive) ; 萄 táo (grapes) ; 药 yào (medicine) ; 艺 yì (skill) ; 英 yīng (flower) ; 藏 zàng (treasury) ; 蒸 zhēng (to steam)
Also uses 冖 mì component: 爱 ài (love) 每 měi (each) ; 蒙 měng (Mongol) ; 免 miǎn (to escape) ; 农 nóng (to farm) ; 写 xiě (write)
Different tone
老 lǎo (venerable) ; 耂 lǎo (old)Proverbs
能者多劳 néng zhě duō láo Busy people are busy because they are capable徒劳无功 tú láo wú gōng Pointless effort that will achieve nothing.