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); to express one's appreciation (Taiwan pr. [lao4])
grass (艹) + cover (冖) + strength (力) = toiling with all one's might
The original image is of flames (火) burning under a roof at night, with strength (力) below — evoking the exhausting effort of working by torchlight. Over time the top element was written as 艹, but the core idea of strenuous, draining toil remains.
这份工作很辛苦，大家都为此付出了很多劳动。
zhè fèn gōng zuò hěn xīn kǔ, dà jiā dōu wèi cǐ fù chū le hěn duō láo dòng。
This job is very hard; everyone put in a lot of labor for it.
长时间工作让他感到疲劳，需要好好休息一下。
cháng shí jiān gōng zuò ràng tā gǎn dào pí láo, xū yào hǎo hǎo xiū xi yī xià。
Working for a long time made him feel fatigued, and he needed to rest well.
Words with 劳
唁劳
yàn láo
to offer condolences
过劳
guò láo
overwork
过劳死
guò láo sǐ
karoshi (loanword from Japanese), death from overwork
过劳肥
guò láo féi
overweight from overwork (the supposition that white collar workers become fat as a consequence of factors associated with being under pressure at work, including irregular diet, lack of exercise and inadequate rest)
远劳
yuǎn láo
(courteous expression) you have made a long and exhausting journey
酬劳
chóu láo
reward
重复性劳损
chóng fù xìng láo sǔn
repetitive strain injury (RSI)
金属疲劳
jīn shǔ pí láo
metal fatigue
陆劳
lù láo
laborer from mainland China (Tw)
体力劳动
tǐ lì láo dòng
physical labor
麦当劳
mài dāng láo
McDonald's (fast food company)
麦当劳叔叔
mài dāng láo shū shu
Ronald McDonald