(suān) — sour, tart; sore, aching; sick at heart, grieved

Definition

Polysemous adjective: literally 'sour' (taste), and figuratively 'aching' (muscles) or 'sick at heart' (a pang of sadness, lighter than 伤心).

adjective
sourtartsoreachingsick at heartgrieved

Examples

  • Zhè ge píng guǒ hěn suān.
    This apple is very sour.
  • Zǒu le hěn jiǔ, tuǐ dōu zǒu suān le.
    After walking a long time, my legs became sore.
  • Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, tā xīn lǐ yì suān.
    Hearing the news, he felt a pang of sadness.

Browse more HSK 4 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.