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悲痛 (bēi tòng) — grieved; sorrowful

Definition

悲痛 is deep, intense grief — usually over a loss (a death, a disaster). Stronger than 伤心 ('sad, heartbroken') and more solemn than 难过; close in weight to 痛心.

adjective
grievedsorrowful

Examples

  • ，悲痛。
    Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, tā gǎn dào fēi cháng bēi tòng.
    He felt extremely grieved upon hearing this news.
  • ，悲痛。
    Miàn duì qīn rén de lí qù, tā xīn zhōng chōng mǎn le bēi tòng.
    Facing the departure of a loved one, her heart was filled with sorrow.
  • 悲痛。
    Zhè zhǒng bēi tòng de xīn qíng chí xù le hěn jiǔ.
    This sorrowful mood lasted for a long time.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

悲bēisorrowful
痛tòngpain; sorrow

The two parts both express grief and pain, together meaning deeply sorrowful.

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Emotions & Feelings

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