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伤感 (shāng gǎn) — (adjective) sad in a gentle, nostalgic way; sentimental; melancholic

Definition

A gentle, nostalgic sadness — softer and more wistful than 伤心 (which is sharper grief) or 悲伤 (deeper sorrow). Often describes a mood stirred by music, memories, or farewells.

adjective
sad in a gentlenostalgic waysentimentalmelancholic

Examples

  • ，伤感。
    Tīng dào zhè shǒu gē, tā xīn lǐ yǒu xiē shāng gǎn.
    Hearing this song, she felt a little sad.
  • 伤感。
    Zhè bù shāng gǎn de diàn yǐng ràng wǒ xiǎng qǐ le lǎo jiā.
    This sentimental movie reminded me of my hometown.
  • ，伤感。
    Lí bié shí, dà jiā dōu yǒu xiē shāng gǎn.
    Everyone felt a bit melancholic at the farewell.

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.

伤shāngsad
感gǎnfeeling

伤 (sad) and 感 (feeling) combine to mean a melancholy emotional state.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 傷; 伤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
𥏻
𥏻𥏻傷shāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 傷 shows 人, a person, and uses 𥏻 to give the sound; the simplified 伤 is a later shorthand.

Open 伤 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Emotions & Feelings

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.