Chinese word

悲哀

Pronunciation

Pinyinbēi āi

Meaning

  • nounsadness

Example

看着她离去的背影，我感到悲哀。kàn zhe tā lí qù de bèi yǐng wǒ gǎn dào bēi āi

Watching her leave, I felt sadness.

Illustration for 悲哀 (sadness)

More examples

失去亲友后，她长时间沉浸在悲哀中，难以自拔。shī qù qīn yǒu hòu tā cháng shí jiān chén jìn zài bēi āi zhōng nán yǐ zì bá

After losing a loved one, she was immersed in sadness for a long time and found it hard to break free.

Core concept

A heavy sorrow settles in the heart after loss, failure, or separation, often with a sense of helplessness.

Common phrases

  • 沉浸在悲哀中chén jìn zài bēi āi zhōng

    immersed in sadness

  • 悲哀的表情bēi āi de biǎo qíng

    sad expression

Similar words

悲伤bēi shāng: Deep, quiet sadness that weighs heavily on the heart.
伤心shāng xīn: A hurt feeling caused by heartbreak, betrayal, or another personal blow.
难过nán guò: A downcast, troubled feeling that makes an upsetting situation hard to bear.
痛苦tòng kǔ: Severe mental or physical suffering that is difficult to endure.

Definition in Chinese

对不幸、失败或别离等引起的深重悲伤，常带有无奈或沉痛的意味。duì bú xìng shī bài huò bié lí děng yín qǐ de shēn zhòng bēi shāng cháng dài yǒu wú nài huò chén tòng de yì wèi

Word origin

The compound 悲哀 (bēiāi, "deep sorrow") joins 悲 (bēi, "sorrow") with 哀 (āi, "grief"), which helps explain its solemn and deeply felt tone.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, 悲哀 (bēiāi, "deep sorrow") sounds more solemn and weighty than a casual low mood, so it suits serious loss or failure better than ordinary disappointment.

Other meanings

  • griefnoun
  • heartbrokenadjective

Opposites

  • 喜乐xǐ lèjoynoun

Word lists with this word