惨淡 (cǎn dàn) — gloomy, bleak, dismal; (in 惨淡经营) painstaking, arduous (effort)
Definition
Literary 'gloomy, dismal' — for skies, business, prospects — stronger than 暗淡 and more literary than 凄凉. Also used in 惨淡经营 for painstaking, hard-won effort.
adjective
gloomybleakdismal(in 惨淡经营) painstakingarduous (effort)
Examples
- 惨淡，。Zhè jiā xiǎo diàn shēng yì cǎn dàn, kuài yào guān mén le.This small shop's business is dismal; it's about to close.
- 惨淡，。Tiān kōng cǎn dàn, xiàng shì yào xià dà yǔ le.The sky is gloomy, as if a heavy rain is coming.
- 惨淡，。Tā cǎn dàn jīng yíng le shí nián, zhōng yú bǎ gōng sī zuò dà le.He managed painstakingly for ten years and finally grew the company.
Appears in
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