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痛快 (tòng kuài) — delighted, to one's heart's content (experiencing pleasure fully); straightforward, direct (of personality or speech)

Definition

痛快 is 'delighted / to one's heart's content' — stronger and more uninhibited than 开心 or 愉快. It also means 'straightforward and frank' of a person, like 爽快.

adjective
delightedto one's heart's content (experiencing pleasure fully)straightforwarddirect (of personality or speech)

Examples

  • 痛快！
    Jīn tiān qù yóu yǒng yóu dé zhēn tòng kuài!
    I went swimming today and had a really great time!
  • 痛快，。
    Tā zhè ge rén hěn tòng kuài, yǒu shén me shuō shén me.
    He's a very straightforward person — he says whatever's on his mind.
  • ，痛快。
    Dà jiā hē le yì wǎn shàng jiǔ, liáo dé tè bié tòng kuài.
    Everyone drank all evening and had a wonderfully free-flowing conversation.

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.

痛tòngthoroughly
快kuàipleased

Thoroughness and pleasure combine to mean feeling fully glad.

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
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
忄Written in full as心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
夬
夬guài快kuài
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

快 pairs the left part 忄 (full form 心, the heart) with the right part 夬, which gives the sound.

Open 快 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 5Emotions & FeelingsPersonality & Traits

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