Chinese word

惨痛

Pronunciation

Pinyincǎn tòng

Meaning

  • adjectivepainful

Example

这次失败给了我们惨痛的教训。zhè cì shī bài gěi le wǒ men cǎn tòng de jiào xùn

This failure taught us a painful lesson.

Illustration for 惨痛 (painful)

More examples

事故给公司带来了惨痛的损失。shì gù gěi gōng sī dài lái le cǎn tòng de sǔn shī

The accident caused the company a painful loss.

Core concept

The sharp weight of consequences when a wrong turn brings lasting suffering or loss.

Common phrases

  • 惨痛的教训cǎn tòng de jiào xùn

    painful lesson

  • 惨痛的代价cǎn tòng de dài jià

    painful price

  • 惨痛的损失cǎn tòng de sǔn shī

    painful loss

Similar words

痛苦tòng kǔ: Describes a state of severe suffering in the body or mind.
悲痛bēi tòng: Describes deep pain marked by intense grief and sorrow.
沉痛chén tòng: Conveys deep grief over a heavy loss in formal written language.
剧痛jù tòng: Describes sudden, extremely severe pain in the body or mind.

Definition in Chinese

形容因事故、失败或错误造成的深刻痛苦或重大损失，常用于强调代价或教训的沉重性。xíng róng yīn shì gù shī bài huò cuò wù zào chéng de shēn kè tòng kǔ huò zhòng dà sǔn shī cháng yòng yú qiáng diào dài jià huò jiào xùn de chén zhòng xìng

Word origin

惨 (cǎn, "tragic") points to a disastrous condition and 痛 (tòng, "pain") to intense suffering, together forming 惨痛 (cǎntòng, "painful") for a costly experience.

Usage tips

  • English painful can describe many ordinary discomforts, but this Chinese word normally signals a grave consequence and a lesson with a high price.

Other meanings

  • bitteradjective
  • severeadjective

Word lists with this word