炼狱 (liàn yù) — (religion) purgatory; (figurative) hellish experience; nightmare scenario

Definition

Literally 'purgatory' in Catholic theology — a place where souls are purified after death. In modern usage it broadly means any hellish ordeal or nightmarish experience.

noun
(religion) purgatory(figurative) hellish experiencenightmare scenario

Examples

  • 炼狱
    Xìn tú men xiāng xìn liàn yù shì yí gè jìng huà líng hún de dì fāng.
    Believers trust that purgatory is a place to purify the soul.
  • 炼狱
    Zhè duàn shí jiān de gōng zuò jiǎn zhí xiàng liàn yù yí yàng nán áo.
    The work during this period is as hard to endure as purgatory.
  • 炼狱
    Duì shì bīng lái shuō, zhàn chǎng jiù shì rén jiān liàn yù.
    For soldiers, the battlefield is a living hell.

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