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悲痛欲绝 (bēi tòng yù jué) — extremely grieved; inconsolable

Definition

An emphatic idiom meaning grief so deep it feels unbearable ('grief-stricken to the point of breaking'). Stronger than plain 伤心 or 难过 — use it for profound loss, not everyday sadness.

idiom
extremely grievedinconsolable

Examples

  • ，悲痛欲绝，。
    Tīng dào zhè ge è hào, tā bēi tòng yù jué, lèi liú bù zhǐ.
    Upon hearing the bad news, he was grief-stricken and couldn't stop crying.
  • 悲痛欲绝，。
    Tā bēi tòng yù jué dì gào bié le qīn rén, tà shàng le yuǎn xíng de lù.
    She bid farewell to her family with immense sorrow and embarked on a long journey.
  • ，悲痛欲绝，。
    Shī qù zhì yǒu hòu, tā chén jìn zài bēi tòng yù jué zhī zhōng, jiǔ jiǔ wú fǎ zhèn zuò.
    After losing his close friend, he was immersed in extreme grief and couldn't pull himself together for a long time.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

悲痛grief
悲bēisad痛tòngpain
联合Coordinate
欲绝nearly cut off
欲yùalmost绝juécut off
偏正Modifier + head

悲痛 (grief) and 欲绝 (nearly cut off) picture grief so strong it seems to end life.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
疒疒nèillness
Sound part声符shēngfú
甬
甬yǒng痛tòng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 疒 part means illness, and 甬 gives the sound; together they form 痛, meaning pain or hurt.

Open 痛 →

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
欠欠qiàn
Sound part声符shēngfú
谷
谷gǔ欲yù
Same sound today

欲 is made of 谷, which supplies the sound, and 欠, which relates to the meaning.

Open 欲 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 絕; 绝 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 絕, 刀 (knife) and 幺 (silk) show a knife cutting silk threads. The simplified 绝 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original picture.

Open 绝 →
Appears in
Emotions & FeelingsIdioms & Set Phrases

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