挫折感 (cuò zhé gǎn) — feeling of frustration; sense of setback

Definition

noun
feeling of frustrationsense of setback

Examples

  • 挫折感，。
    Miàn duì cuò zhé gǎn, tā xuǎn zé le jiān chí.
    Facing the feeling of frustration, he chose to persevere.
  • 挫折感。
    Zhè cì shī bài gěi tā dài lái le qiáng liè de cuò zhé gǎn.
    This failure brought him a strong feeling of frustration.
  • 挫折感。
    Tā nǔ lì kè fú nèi xīn de cuò zhé gǎn.
    She worked hard to overcome the feeling of frustration inside.

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.

挫折setback
挫cuòsetback折zhébreak
联合Side by side
感gǎnfeeling

The 感, a feeling, is named by 挫折, setbacks and breaks, giving the sense of frustration.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
坐
坐zuò挫cuò
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

挫 is written with 扌, a hand shape, beside 坐, which gives its sound.

Open 挫 →

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

  • 屮𣏄𣏄a tree {{zh-m|*木}} cut in half
  • 斤斤jīnaxe

The shape originally showed an axe (斤) cutting a tree in half; in 折 the left part is now written as a hand.

Open 折 →

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
Sound part声符shēngfú
咸
咸xián感gǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

感 pairs 咸, which gives the sound, with 心, the heart, for feeling.

Open 感 →

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