HSK · Level 49
120 words
Chinese word
惨
Pronunciation
Pinyincǎn
Meaning
- adjectivetragic
Example
这次事故太惨了。zhè cì shì gù tài cǎn le
This accident is so tragic.
More examples
洪水过后，农田的损失惨重，居民生活受到严重影响。hóng shuǐ guò hòu nóng tián de sǔn shī cǎn zhòng jū mín shēng huó shòu dào yán zhòng yíng xiǎng
After the flood, the farmland suffered severe losses, seriously affecting residents' lives.
Core concept
Shows suffering so severe that a person or situation appears shattered and deeply distressing.
Common phrases
损失惨重sǔn shī cǎn zhòng
severe losses
惨不堪言cǎn bù kān yán
too tragic for words
Similar words
悲惨bēi cǎn: Describing an unhappy situation in which suffering and misfortune are overwhelming.
可怜kě lián: Deserving pity because of visible weakness, helplessness, or unhappiness.
可悲kě bēi: Causing sadness because a situation seems pitiful and deeply regrettable.
凄惨qī cǎn: Describing a scene of destruction and bloodshed that is horrifying to witness.
Definition in Chinese
形容遭遇严重不幸或景象极其悲痛、令人同情或震惊的状态。xíng róng zāo yù yán zhòng bú xìng huò jǐng xiàng jí qí bēi tòng lìng rén tóng qíng huò zhèn jīng de zhuàng tài
Word origin
惨 (cǎn, "tragic") is a phonetic-semantic character: 忄 (xīn, "heart") points toward feeling, while 参 (cān, "sound element") mainly supplies the pronunciation.
Usage tips
- This adjective can describe an aftermath or an overall situation, not only the event itself, so it also fits a scene that shows the results of serious misfortune.
Other meanings
- miserableadjective
- awfuladjective
Related words
- 惨痛cǎn tòngdeeply painfuladjective
- 惨败cǎn bàisuffer a crushing defeatverb