痛 (tòng) — (adjective) painful, sore; aching (physical or emotional); (adverb) deeply, severely, thoroughly (before certain verbs like 打, 哭, 恨)
Definition
痛 (tòng) is the more formal/written word for physical or emotional pain, stronger than the everyday 疼. As an adverb before verbs like 哭 or 恨, it means 'bitterly / deeply'.
adjective
painfulsoreaching (physical or emotional)
adverb
deeplyseverelythoroughly (before certain verbs like 打, 哭, 恨)
Examples
- 痛，。Wǒ de jiǎo hěn tòng, zǒu bú dòng le.My foot hurts a lot; I can't walk.
- ，痛。Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, tā xīn lǐ hěn tòng.Hearing this news, his heart ached.
- ，。Tā tòng kū le yì chǎng, yǎn jing dōu hóng le.He cried bitterly, and his eyes turned red.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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
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
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