跌伤 (diē shāng) — to fall and get hurt; to be injured from a fall

Definition

A compound verb meaning 'to fall and get hurt' (the fall itself causes the injury). Closer to 'injure oneself in a fall' than to a general 受伤 'get hurt' from any cause.

verb
to fall and get hurtto be injured from a fall

Examples

  • 跌伤，。
    Tā cóng lóu tī shàng diē shāng le, yào zhù yuàn yí gè xīng qī.
    He fell and got hurt from the stairs and needs to be hospitalized for a week.
  • 跌伤，。
    Pǎo bù shí bù xiǎo xīn diē shāng le xī gài, xiàn zài hěn téng.
    I accidentally fell and hurt my knee while running; it hurts a lot now.
  • 跌伤，。
    Lǎo rén zuì pà diē shāng, yì jiāo kě néng jiù gǔ zhé.
    Elderly people are most afraid of falling and getting hurt; one fall could lead to a fracture.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

跌diēfall
伤shānghurt

跌 (fall) plus 伤 (hurt) describes injury caused by falling.

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
足足zúfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
失
失shī跌diē
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

跌 pairs 足 (foot) with 失, which gives a hint to its sound.

Open 跌 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 傷; 伤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
𥏻
𥏻𥏻傷shāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 傷 shows 人, a person, and uses 𥏻 to give the sound; the simplified 伤 is a later shorthand.

Open 伤 →

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