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遇难 (yù nàn) — to perish, to be killed (in an accident or disaster)

Definition

遇难 is specifically about people dying in accidents or disasters (plane crashes, earthquakes, etc.). Compared to the more general 消灭, 毁灭, and 灭亡, it is restricted to human death; unlike 丧生 it focuses on sudden, accidental death.

verb
to perishto be killed (in an accident or disaster)

Examples

  • 遇难。
    Tā zài nà chǎng dì zhèn zhōng yù nàn le.
    He perished in that earthquake.
  • 遇难。
    Zhè qǐ jiāo tōng shì gù dǎo zhì sān rén yù nàn.
    This traffic accident caused three people to perish.
  • 遇难。
    Nà jià fēi jī shàng de chéng kè quán bù yù nàn.
    All passengers on that plane perished.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

遇yùmeet
难nándisaster

遇 “meet” and 难 “disaster” combine to mean meeting a fatal disaster.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
禺
禺yú遇yù
Same sound today

遇 combines 辶, a walking-related part, with 禺, which gives the sound. The 辶 part shows that the meaning involves walking or moving.

Open 遇 →

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 難; 难 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuībird
Sound part声符shēngfú
暵
暵hàn難nán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional 難 pairs 隹, a bird, with 暵 for sound, and meant a type of bird. It was later borrowed for other meanings; the modern 难 is a shorthand.

Open 难 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Safety & Danger

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.