惨遭 (cǎn zāo) — to suffer (a disaster, death, misfortune, etc.)

Definition

Literary 'to suffer (misfortune)' — 惨 emphasizes how terrible the outcome was. Far more formal and emphatic than everyday 遭受, and almost always followed by something bad (loss, death, failure).

verb
to suffer (a disaster, death, misfortune, etc.)

Examples

  • 惨遭。
    Tā zài shì gù zhōng cǎn zāo bú xìng.
    He suffered misfortune in the accident.
  • 惨遭。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī cǎn zāo le jù dà de jīng jì sǔn shī.
    This company suffered huge economic losses.
  • 惨遭。
    Xǔ duō píng mín zài zhàn zhēng zhōng cǎn zāo shā hài.
    Many civilians were killed in the war.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

惨cǎnterrible
遭zāosuffer

惨 (terrible) qualifies 遭 (suffer) to mean suffer a terrible fate.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 慘; 惨 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
參
參cān慘cǎn
Same sound today

The traditional form 慘 puts 心 (heart) with 參 as its sound part. The simplified 惨 is a later shorthand, so its shape is not the historical form.

Open 惨 →

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
辶Written in full as辵chuòmovement
Sound part声符shēngfú
曹
曹cáo遭zāo
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

遭 pairs 辶, the walking part, with 曹, which gives the sound; the shape is for meeting on the road.

Open 遭 →

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