消愁 (xiāo chóu) — to drown one's sorrows; to dispel melancholy

Definition

消愁 is a separable verb (离合词) meaning 'to drown one's sorrows' or 'to dispel melancholy'. The verb 消 and the object 愁 can split when you insert aspect markers (了, 过), duration, or complements: 消了愁 ('got rid of worries'), 消一消愁 ('relieve worries a bit'). You cannot put an object after 消愁; instead, say 用酒消愁 ('drown sorrows with alcohol').

v.o.

to drown one's sorrowsto dispel melancholy

Examples

消愁。
Tā yí ge rén hē jiǔ xiāo chóu.
He drinks alone to drown his sorrows.
，。
Tīng le zhè shǒu gē, tā zǒngsuàn xiāo le chóu.
After listening to this song, he finally got rid of his worries.
，。
Chūqù zǒuzou, xiāo yì xiāo chóu ba.
Go out for a walk and relieve your worries a bit.

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