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受罪 (shòu zuì) — to suffer, to endure hardships; to have a hard time (in a specific situation)

Definition

Colloquial 'to suffer / have a hard time,' often about a specific unpleasant situation (heat, hard work). Lighter and more everyday than 煎熬, which focuses on mental torment.

verb
to sufferto endure hardshipsto have a hard time (in a specific situation)

Examples

  • ，受罪！
    Zhè duàn lù tài nán zǒu le, zhēn shì shòu zuì!
    This stretch of road is so hard to walk on — it's really suffering!
  • ，。
    Tā wèi le yǎng jiā hú kǒu, shòu le bù shǎo zuì.
    He suffered a lot to support his family.
  • ，受罪。
    Xià tiān méi yǒu kōng tiáo, jiǎn zhí shì zài shòu zuì.
    In summer without air conditioning, you're simply enduring torture.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

受shòuendure
罪zuìsuffering

Enduring suffering gives the sense of having a hard time.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

受 possibly combines 爪 and 又 as hands with 舟 as a boat, to show handing something over.

Open 受 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

罪 puts 罒 (a net, written fully as 网) over 非 (mistake).

Open 罪 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Emotions & Feelings

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