悲怆 (bēi chuàng) — (v.p., literary) deeply sorrowful; tragic; heartrending

Definition

A literary adjective meaning 'deeply sorrowful, tragic' — used in writing, not everyday speech, for art, music, or scenes that move the listener to grief.

verb
(v.p., literary) deeply sorrowfultragicheartrending

Examples

  • 悲怆。
    Zhè shǒu bēi chuàng de yuè qǔ ràng tīng zhòng luò xià le yǎn lèi.
    This mournful piece of music brought the audience to tears.
  • ，悲怆。
    Chuán chén de nà yí kè, chǎng miàn shí fēn bēi chuàng.
    At the moment the ship sank, the scene was extremely tragic.
  • 悲怆。
    Tā yòng bēi chuàng de yǔ diào jiǎng shù le zì jǐ de jīng lì.
    He recounted his experience in a mournful tone.

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.

悲bēisorrow
怆chuànggrief

悲怆 joins 悲, sorrow, and 怆, grief, to express deep sadness.

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
心心xīnheart; thought; emotion
Sound part声符shēngfú
非
非fēi悲bēi
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

悲 pairs 非 as the sound part with 心, the heart/emotion part.

Open 悲 →

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 愴; 怆 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
倉
倉cāng愴chuàng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 愴 combines 心 (heart) with 倉 as a sound part; the simplified 怆 is a shorthand.

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