jīlěi: 积累 - To Accumulate, To Build Up

• Keywords: jilei, jīlěi, 积累, 積累, accumulate Chinese, build up experience Chinese, gather knowledge Chinese, save up Chinese, patient effort, long-term thinking, Chinese cultural values.
• Summary: Learn the essential Chinese word 积累 (jīlěi), which means to accumulate or build up over time. This term is crucial for understanding the Chinese cultural emphasis on patience, perseverance, and the value of gradual, consistent effort. Whether you're talking about accumulating experience (积累经验), knowledge (积累知识), or even wealth (积累财富), jīlěi captures the idea that great things are achieved through small, steady steps.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): jīlěi
• Part of Speech: Verb
• HSK Level: HSK 4
• Concise Definition: To accumulate, gather, or build up something gradually over a period of time.
• In a Nutshell: `积累` is not just about getting more stuff; it's about the process of slow, deliberate, and patient gathering. Think of it as the “compound interest” of life. It can apply to tangible things like money, but it's most often used for intangible concepts like experience, knowledge, reputation, or even stress. The core feeling is one of persistence and long-term growth.

• 积 (jī): To amass, to store up, to accumulate. The radical on the left is 禾 (hé), which means “grain.” You can picture stacking up harvested grain over time to build a surplus.
• 累 (lěi): To pile up, to heap. This character is composed of 田 (tián, “field”) over a base, visually suggesting things being stacked on top of one another.
• Together, 积累 (jīlěi) literally means “to amass and pile up.” The two characters reinforce each other, creating a powerful and vivid image of steady, continuous accumulation.

In Chinese culture, `积累` is more than just a word; it's a philosophy. It embodies the values of patience, diligence, and foresight. This contrasts sharply with some Western cultural narratives that often celebrate “overnight success,” “breakthroughs,” or “disruption.” The concept of `积累` teaches that true mastery and lasting success are not the results of a single, brilliant stroke of genius, but the inevitable outcome of countless small, consistent efforts. It's the core idea behind famous Chinese idioms like:

• 厚积薄发 (hòu jī bó fā): “Accumulate deeply, release thinly.” This means to undergo a long and profound period of preparation and learning before having a moment of great success or expression.
• 积少成多 (jī shǎo chéng duō): “Accumulating the small creates the many.” This is the Chinese equivalent of “many a little makes a mickle.”

Compare `积累` to the Western concept of “hustle.” While “hustle” often implies a fast-paced, aggressive, and sometimes short-term push for results, `积累` implies a quieter, more patient, and long-term strategy. It's less about sprinting and more about marathon running.

`积累` is a common and versatile word used in various contexts, from formal business plans to everyday conversations about personal growth.

• Professional & Academic Context: This is the most common usage. People talk about `积累经验` (accumulating experience) and `积累知识` (accumulating knowledge) as the foundation for a successful career.
• Financial Context: You can `积累财富` (accumulate wealth) or `积累资本` (accumulate capital). This usage is slightly more formal. For saving up money for a specific goal, `攒钱 (zǎn qián)` is more common in daily speech.
• Neutral or Negative Context: Accumulation isn't always positive. One can `积累疲劳` (accumulate fatigue) from overworking, or `积累矛盾` (accumulate contradictions/conflicts) in a relationship, which could lead to a big fight.

• Example 1:
  • 刚毕业的学生需要积累工作经验。
  • Pinyin: Gāng bìyè de xuéshēng xūyào jīlěi gōngzuò jīngyàn.
  • English: Students who have just graduated need to accumulate work experience.
  • Analysis: This is a classic and extremely common use of `jīlěi`. It refers to the gradual process of becoming more skilled through practice.
• Example 2:
  • 成功不是一晚上的事，而是长期积累的结果。
  • Pinyin: Chénggōng búshì yí wǎnshang de shì, érshì chángqī jīlěi de jiéguǒ.
  • English: Success is not an overnight thing, but the result of long-term accumulation.
  • Analysis: This sentence perfectly captures the cultural philosophy behind `jīlěi`—patience and long-term effort lead to success.
• Example 3:
  • 他通过多年的投资，积累了大量财富。
  • Pinyin: Tā tōngguò duōnián de tóuzī, jīlěi le dàliàng cáifù.
  • English: Through many years of investing, he accumulated a great deal of wealth.
  • Analysis: Here, `jīlěi` is used in a financial context to describe building wealth over time, not just winning the lottery.
• Example 4:
  • 如果你一直不休息，身体会积累很多疲劳。
  • Pinyin: Rúguǒ nǐ yìzhí bù xiūxi, shēntǐ huì jīlěi hěn duō píláo.
  • English: If you don't rest, your body will accumulate a lot of fatigue.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates the negative usage of the word. The fatigue builds up gradually until it becomes a problem.
• Example 5:
  • 作为一名作家，他总是注意在生活中积累素材。
  • Pinyin: Zuòwéi yì míng zuòjiā, tā zǒngshì zhùyì zài shēnghuó zhōng jīlěi sùcái.
  • English: As a writer, he always pays attention to accumulating material from his life.
  • Analysis: This shows the accumulation of intangible things—ideas, stories, and inspiration.
• Example 6:
  • 这家公司用了一百年才积累了现在的声誉。
  • Pinyin: Zhè jiā gōngsī yòngle yì bǎi nián cái jīlěi le xiànzài de shēngyù.
  • English: It took this company a hundred years to build up its current reputation.
  • Analysis: Reputation is another abstract concept that is built slowly over time through consistent action, perfectly described by `jīlěi`.
• Example 7:
  • 夫妻之间的不满会慢慢积累，最后导致离婚。
  • Pinyin: Fūqī zhījiān de bùmǎn huì mànmàn jīlěi, zuìhòu dǎozhì líhūn.
  • English: Dissatisfaction between a couple can slowly accumulate, eventually leading to divorce.
  • Analysis: Another negative example, showing how small, unresolved issues can “pile up” into a major problem.
• Example 8:
  • 学习语言需要每天积累词汇量。
  • Pinyin: Xuéxí yǔyán xūyào měitiān jīlěi cíhuìliàng.
  • English: Learning a language requires accumulating vocabulary every day.
  • Analysis: A very practical and relatable example for any language learner. You don't learn 5,000 words in one day; you `jīlěi` them.
• Example 9:
  • 这个问题很复杂，我们需要积累更多的数据才能分析。
  • Pinyin: Zhè ge wèntí hěn fùzá, wǒmen xūyào jīlěi gèng duō de shùjù cáinéng fēnxī.
  • English: This problem is very complex; we need to accumulate more data before we can analyze it.
  • Analysis: Used in a technical or scientific context, referring to the process of data gathering.
• Example 10:
  • 书架上积累了一层厚厚的灰尘。
  • Pinyin: Shūjià shàng jīlěi le yì céng hòuhòu de huīchén.
  • English: A thick layer of dust has accumulated on the bookshelf.
  • Analysis: A simple, literal example. The dust didn't appear all at once; it settled bit by bit over time.

A common point of confusion for learners is the difference between `积累 (jīlěi)` and `收集 (shōují)`.

• `积累 (jīlěi)` - To Accumulate: This implies a gradual process of amassing something, often intangible or uncountable, like experience, knowledge, wealth, or fatigue. The focus is on the process of building up.
• `收集 (shōují)` - To Collect: This means to gather specific, distinct items, often as a hobby or for a specific purpose. Think of collecting stamps, butterflies, or signatures. The focus is on the act of gathering individual objects.

Common Mistake:

• Incorrect: 我喜欢积累邮票。(Wǒ xǐhuān jīlěi yóupiào.) - “I like to accumulate stamps.” This sounds strange because it implies a slow, formless amassing rather than collecting individual items.
• Correct: 我喜欢收集邮票。(Wǒ xǐhuān shōují yóupiào.) - “I like to collect stamps.”
• Incorrect: 他在收集工作经验。(Tā zài shōují gōngzuò jīngyàn.) - “He is collecting work experience.” This is wrong because experience isn't a set of discrete objects you can gather.
• Correct: 他在积累工作经验。(Tā zài jīlěi gōngzuò jīngyàn.) - “He is accumulating work experience.”

In short: use `收集 (shōují)` for hobbies and data sets, and `积累 (jīlěi)` for experience, knowledge, wealth, and other things that grow over time.

• 收集 (shōují) - To collect (like stamps, data, specimens). Focuses on gathering distinct items.
• 积聚 (jījù) - To gather, to build up. Very similar to `jīlěi` but often more formal and can imply a larger, more concentrated mass.
• 积攒 (jīzǎn) - To save up bit by bit. More colloquial than `jīlěi` and almost exclusively used for money or physical goods.
• 储蓄 (chǔxù) - To save money, savings (in a bank). A specific financial term.
• 积压 (jīyā) - To overstock, to have a backlog. Refers to a negative accumulation of work or goods that are stuck.
• 沉淀 (chéndiàn) - To settle, to precipitate. Metaphorically used to describe a process where accumulated knowledge and experience mature, deepen, and become true wisdom. It's what happens after `jīlěi`.
• 厚积薄发 (hòujībófā) - A highly respected idiom meaning “deep accumulation, thin release.” It describes someone who prepares for a very long time to achieve a moment of brilliance. The ultimate expression of the `jīlěi` philosophy.