凄凄惨惨 (qī qī cǎn cǎn) — extremely miserable and heartbreaking; desolate and sorrowful

Definition

Reduplicated AABB adverbial describing a scene or mood that is utterly bleak, desolate, and sorrowful — stronger than the plain 凄惨. Used as a set phrase, not split.

bound form
extremely miserable and heartbreakingdesolate and sorrowful

Examples

  • 凄凄惨惨。
    Zhàn hòu de xiǎo chéng yí piàn qī qī cǎn cǎn.
    The small town was utterly desolate after the war.
  • ，凄凄惨惨。
    Tīng dào zhè ge è hào, tā de xīn lǐ qī qī cǎn cǎn de.
    Upon hearing the tragic news, his heart was filled with deep sorrow.
  • 凄凄惨惨，。
    Zài nà ge qī qī cǎn cǎn de yǔ yè lǐ, tā shī qù le suǒ yǒu de qīn rén.
    On that heartbreaking rainy night, he lost all his loved ones.

Origin

Reduplicated word
构词法gòucífǎ
重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

凄凄desolate
凄qīdesolate凄qīdesolate
惨惨miserable
惨cǎnmiserable惨cǎnmiserable

凄凄 and 惨惨 intensify desolation and misery, making the feeling more heartrending.

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
冫Written in full as仌bīngice
Sound part声符shēngfú
妻
妻qī凄qī
Same sound today

凄 combines 冫 (ice, written fully as 仌) to show cold with 妻 to give the sound.

Open 凄 →

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
冫Written in full as仌bīngice
Sound part声符shēngfú
妻
妻qī凄qī
Same sound today

凄 combines 冫 (ice, written fully as 仌) to show cold with 妻 to give the sound.

Open 凄 →

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 慘; 惨 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
參
參cān慘cǎn
Same sound today

The traditional form 慘 puts 心 (heart) with 參 as its sound part. The simplified 惨 is a later shorthand, so its shape is not the historical form.

Open 惨 →

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 慘; 惨 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
參
參cān慘cǎn
Same sound today

The traditional form 慘 puts 心 (heart) with 參 as its sound part. The simplified 惨 is a later shorthand, so its shape is not the historical form.

Open 惨 →

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