多灾多难 (duō zāi duō nàn) — full of disasters and hardships; calamitous; troubled

Definition

An idiomatic chengyu-like expression meaning 'plagued by repeated disasters and hardships', used for countries, eras, or lives. It is a descriptive predicate, not an action verb.

verb
full of disasters and hardshipscalamitoustroubled

Examples

  • 多灾多难，。
    Zhè ge guó jiā lì shǐ shàng duō zāi duō nàn, dàn rén mín fēi cháng jiān qiáng.
    This country has had many disasters in its history, but the people are very resilient.
  • 多灾多难，。
    Tā de yì shēng duō zāi duō nàn, què cóng wèi fàng qì guò xī wàng.
    His life was full of hardships, yet he never gave up hope.
  • 多灾多难，。
    Nà ge xiàng mù duō zāi duō nàn, zuì hòu zhōng yú chéng gōng le.
    That project encountered one disaster after another, but finally succeeded.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

多灾have many disasters
多duōhave many灾zāidisaster
动宾Verb + object
多难have many hardships
多duōhave many难nánhardship
动宾Verb + object

多 says many, and 灾 and 难 give disasters and hardships, so the whole means full of disasters and hardships.

Characters in this word

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

多 originally showed two pieces of meat placed together; the repeated meat shape gives the sense of many.

Open 多 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 災; 灾 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡿧
𡿧𡿧災zāi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 災 combines 火 (fire) with 𡿧, an old picture of flowing water that supplied the sound; the simplified 灾 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 灾 →

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

多 originally showed two pieces of meat placed together; the repeated meat shape gives the sense of many.

Open 多 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 難; 难 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuībird
Sound part声符shēngfú
暵
暵hàn難nán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional 難 pairs 隹, a bird, with 暵 for sound, and meant a type of bird. It was later borrowed for other meanings; the modern 难 is a shorthand.

Open 难 →

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