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惨重 (cǎn zhòng) — disastrous, severe (of losses, casualties, consequences)

Definition

惨重 modifies losses, casualties, or consequences — emphasizes heavy, painful severity. 惨 is shorter and broader (can describe scenes or people); 不得了 is colloquial and usually describes situations as 'terrible' rather than quantifying loss.

adjective
disastroussevere (of losses, casualties, consequences)

Examples

  • 惨重。
    Zhè cì huǒ zāi zào chéng le cǎn zhòng de sǔn shī.
    This fire caused disastrous losses.
  • 惨重，。
    Nà cì zhàn dòu shāng wáng cǎn zhòng, lìng rén tòng xīn.
    That battle had severe casualties, which is heartbreaking.
  • 惨重。
    Jīng jì wēi jī gěi gāi guó dài lái le cǎn zhòng de yǐng xiǎng.
    The economic crisis brought disastrous impacts on that country.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

惨cǎnmiserable
重zhòngheavy

惨重 blends 惨 (miserable) and 重 (heavy) to stress severe losses.

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.

Open 惨 →

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
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
東
東dōng重zhòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

重 developed from a picture of a man carrying a bag, with 人 for the man and 東 for the bag; a later ground element was folded into the form.

Open 重 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Good & Bad

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