苦闷 (kǔ mèn) — depressed; dejected; feeling gloomy and frustra… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A literary adjective for a heavy, gloomy mood — feeling depressed and weighed down with no clear way out. Stronger and more written than 郁闷, which is the everyday word for simply 'feeling down'.

adjective

depresseddejectedfeeling gloomy and frustrated

Examples

苦闷，。
Tā zuì jìn xīn qíng hěn kǔ mèn, zǒng shì yí gè rén fā dāi.
He has been feeling very depressed lately, always staring blankly alone.
苦闷。
Gōng zuò shàng de yā lì ràng tā gǎn dào shí fēn kǔ mèn.
The pressure at work made her feel extremely dejected.
苦闷，。
Bú yào bǎ kǔ mèn de qíng xù cáng zài xīn lǐ, shuō chū lái huì hǎo yì xiē.
Don't keep your depressed feelings hidden inside; talking about them will make you feel better.

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kǔbitter

闷mēndepressed

苦 (bitter) and 闷 (stifled) join to describe a heavy, unhappy mood.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 悶; 闷 is its simplified writing.

門心悶

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

門

門mén悶mēn

Same sound today

The traditional form 悶 has 門 as a sound part and 心 as a meaning part; the simplified 闷 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

Emotions & Feelings

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