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痛苦 (tòng kǔ) — painful; suffering (adj.)

Definition

痛苦 is the broader 'painful, anguished' — covers both physical pain and deep emotional suffering, more intense than 难受. For sharp physical pain, use 疼痛; for mental anguish as a noun, see 苦难.

adjective
painfulsuffering (adj.)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，痛苦。
    Tā shuāi dǎo le, gǎn dào fēi cháng tòng kǔ.
    He fell down and felt very painful.
  • 痛苦。
    Shī qù qīn rén ràng tā hěn tòng kǔ.
    Losing a loved one made her very painful.
  • 痛苦，。
    Zhè duàn jīng lì suī rán tòng kǔ, dàn yě ràng wǒ chéng zhǎng le.
    Although this experience was painful, it also made me grow.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

痛tòngpain
苦kǔbitterness

Pain and bitterness combine to express suffering.

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.

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.

Open 痛 →

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
艸艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
古
古gǔ苦kǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 艸 shows grass or plants, matching the sense of bitter plants. The bottom 古 gives the sound.

Open 苦 →
Appears in
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