苦痛 (kǔ tòng) — pain; suffering | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

painsuffering

Examples

苦痛。
Zhàn zhēng gěi rén men dài lái le jù dà de kǔ tòng.
War brought immense suffering to the people.
苦痛，。
Tā jīng lì le duō nián de kǔ tòng, zhōng yú zhǎo dào le píng jìng.
After years of pain, he finally found peace.
苦痛。
Zhè zhǒng kǔ tòng zhǐ yǒu qīn shēn jīng lì guò cái néng lǐ jiě.
This kind of suffering can only be understood by those who have experienced it.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

'苦' (hard) and '痛' (pain) build the idea of bitter suffering.

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

艸艸cǎograss

Sound part声符shēngfú

古

古gǔ苦kǔ

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 艸 shows grass or plants, matching the sense of bitter plants. The bottom 古 gives the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

疒甬痛

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.

Appears in

Emotions & Feelings

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