Definition
炼狱 originally referred to the Catholic purgatory, a place of purification after death. In modern Chinese, it is heavily used as a metaphor for any extremely painful, tormenting, or oppressive situation — like 'hell on earth.' The figurative sense is more common in everyday language than the religious one.
n.
(religion) purgatory(figurative) hellish experiencenightmare scenario
Examples
- 炼狱。Xìntúmen xiāngxìn liàn yù shì yí gè jìnghuà línghún de dìfang.Believers trust that purgatory is a place to purify the soul.
- 炼狱。Zhè duàn shíjiān de gōngzuò jiǎnzhí xiàng liàn yù yíyàng nán'áo.The work during this period is as hard to endure as purgatory.
- ，炼狱。Duì shìbīng lái shuō, zhànchǎng jiùshì rénjiān liàn yù.For soldiers, the battlefield is a living hell.
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