悲惨 (bēi cǎn) — miserable; tragic

Definition

悲惨 paints a whole situation — a life, story, or outcome — as miserable and tragic, not just a passing feeling. It is broader and more objective than 悲伤 (an inner sad feeling) and stronger than 可怜 (pitiful, often about a single person or creature).

adjective
miserabletragic

Examples

  • 悲惨。
    Tā jīng lì le bēi cǎn de tóng nián.
    He experienced a miserable childhood.
  • 悲惨。
    Zhè ge bēi cǎn de gù shi ràng rén hěn nán guò.
    This tragic story makes people very sad.
  • 悲惨。
    Nà chǎng zhàn zhēng dài lái le bēi cǎn de hòu guǒ.
    That war brought tragic consequences.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

悲bēisad
惨cǎnwretched

悲 expresses sadness, and 惨 expresses wretchedness, so together they mean miserable.

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
心心xīnheart; thought; emotion
Sound part声符shēngfú
非
非fēi悲bēi
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

悲 pairs 非 as the sound part with 心, the heart/emotion part.

Open 悲 →

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 →
Appears in
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