沉痛 (chén tòng) — deeply grieved; bitter (of sadness or regret) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal, written adjective for deep sorrow or bitter regret — 沉重 emphasizes weight/gravity, while 沉痛 specifically carries emotional pain.

adjective

deeply grievedbitter (of sadness or regret)

Examples

沉痛，。
Tīng dào zhè ge chén tòng de xiāo xi, dà jiā dōu hěn nán guò.
Hearing this deeply saddening news, everyone was very upset.
沉痛。
Zhè cì shì gù gěi le wǒ men yí gè chén tòng de jiào xùn.
This accident gave us a bitter lesson.
沉痛，。
Tā chén tòng dì dī xià le tóu, yí jù huà yě shuō bù chū lái.
He lowered his head in deep sorrow, unable to say a word.

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.

沉 adds depth to 痛, expressing deep grief or bitter pain.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

疒甬痛

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.

Appears in

Emotions & Feelings

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