人间地狱 (rén jiān dì yù) — hell on earth

Definition

A four-character set phrase meaning 'hell on earth' — a place or situation of extreme suffering, stronger than just saying something is bad. Pairs naturally with the 把 construction to describe a transformation into suffering (see 把).

noun
hell on earth

Examples

  • 人间地狱
    Zhàn zhēng bǎ zhè ge chéng shì biàn chéng le rén jiān dì yù.
    War turned this city into a hell on earth.
  • 人间地狱
    Zài nà ge nián dài, rén men guò zhe rén jiān dì yù yí yàng de shēng huó.
    In those days, people lived a life like hell on earth.
  • 人间地狱
    Zāi qū de qíng kuàng jiǎn zhí shì rén jiān dì yù.
    The situation in the disaster area was simply a hell on earth.

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