惨死 (cǎn sǐ) — to die a tragic death, to die tragically | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

verb

to die a tragic deathto die tragically

Examples

惨死。
Tā zài nà chǎng shì gù zhōng cǎn sǐ le.
He died tragically in that accident.
惨死。
Méi yǒu rén yuàn yì kàn dào wú gū de rén cǎn sǐ jiē tóu.
No one wants to see innocent people die tragically on the streets.
惨死。
Zhè bù xiǎo shuō jiǎng shù le yí gè yīng xióng cǎn sǐ de gù shi.
This novel tells the story of a hero who died a tragic death.

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.

“惨” (tragic) + “死” (die) yields die tragically.

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 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.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

尸

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

死 is built from 歹 and 尸: 歹 is the part tied to the meaning, and 尸 gives the sound.

Appears in

Safety & Danger

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