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伤痛 (shāng tòng) — physical or emotional pain; grief

Definition

A literary noun for deep pain — both physical injury and emotional grief (e.g. trauma, heartbreak). More literary and abstract than the everyday 疼 or 痛苦, which refer to immediate physical or general suffering.

noun
physical or emotional paingrief

Examples

  • 伤痛。
    Zhè chǎng shì gù gěi tā dài lái le shēn shēn de shāng tòng.
    The accident brought him deep pain.
  • 伤痛。
    Shí jiān néng màn màn zhì yù nèi xīn de shāng tòng.
    Time can slowly heal the pain in one's heart.
  • 伤痛。
    Tā liǎn shàng de biǎo qíng chōng mǎn le shāng tòng hé wú nài.
    The expression on his face was full of pain and helplessness.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

伤shānghurt
痛tòngpain

伤 and 痛 both convey hurt and pain, together naming physical or emotional pain.

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
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 →
Appears in
Illness & Symptoms

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