忧伤 (yōu shāng) — sorrowful; melancholy; distressed | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A literary, written-register word for a quiet, lingering sadness — heavier and more poetic than 难过. Often used to describe music, atmosphere, or memories rather than sharp personal pain.

adjective

sorrowfulmelancholydistressed

Examples

忧伤。
Nà shǒu yōu shāng de gē qǔ ràng wǒ xiǎng qǐ le wǎng shì.
That sorrowful song reminded me of the past.
忧伤。
Tā liǎn shàng de biǎo qíng shí fēn yōu shāng.
The expression on his face was very sorrowful.
忧伤。
Zhè bù diàn yǐng jiǎng shù le yí gè yōu shāng de gù shi.
This movie tells a sorrowful story.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

伤shāngsorrow

忧 and 伤 both express sorrow, together meaning deeply grieved.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

尤

尤yóu忧yōu

Same sound today

The heart part 心 marks a feeling, and 尤 gives the sound.

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 傷; 伤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

𥏻

𥏻𥏻傷shāng

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 傷 shows 人, a person, and uses 𥏻 to give the sound; the simplified 伤 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

Emotions & Feelings

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