悲恸 (bēi tòng) — to grieve with loud sobbing; to wail in grief

Definition

A written, formal verb meaning 'to wail in grief' — far stronger and more literary than 难过 or 伤心, emphasizing loud, uncontrollable sobbing. Mostly seen in writing, obituaries, and formal eulogies; rare in everyday speech.

verb
to grieve with loud sobbingto wail in grief
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，悲恸。
    Tīng dào zhè ge è hào, tā bù jīn bēi tòng qǐ lái.
    Upon hearing the tragic news, she couldn't help but wail in grief.
  • ，悲恸。
    Zàng lǐ shàng, qīn yǒu men wú bù bēi tòng.
    At the funeral, relatives and friends all grieved with loud sobbing.
  • 悲恸。
    Tā bēi tòng dì sù shuō zhe shī qù qīn rén de tòng kǔ.
    He wailed in grief as he recounted the pain of losing a loved one.

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bēigrief
恸tòngsorrow

悲 and 恸 both express deep sorrow, so together they mean intense grief.

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 恸 →

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