Chinese word

折磨

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhé mó

Meaning

  • verbtorment

Example

病痛一直在折磨他。bìng tòng yì zhí zài zhé mó tā

The pain of his illness has been tormenting him.

Illustration for 折磨 (torment)

More examples

噩梦和不安日夜折磨着他。è mèng hé bù ān rì yè zhé mó zhe tā

Nightmares and anxiety torment him day and night.

Core concept

Repeated pressure and friction wear a person's body or mind down, causing lasting suffering.

Common phrases

  • 日夜折磨rì yè zhé mó

    torment day and night

  • 被折磨得痛不欲生bèi zhé mó de tòng bú yù shēng

    be tormented to the point of wishing to die

Similar words

煎熬jiān áo: Cause someone to suffer slowly and for a long time, often through deep physical or mental pain.
折腾zhē teng: Tire or distress a person or object by moving or handling it repeatedly.
虐待nüè dài: Treat a person or animal cruelly and cause severe physical or mental suffering.

Definition in Chinese

使人身体或精神上遭受痛苦，使其长期或反复处于难受状态。shǐ rén shēn tǐ huò jīng shén shàng zāo shòu tòng kǔ shǐ qí cháng qī huò fǎn fù chǔ yú nán shòu zhuàng tài

Word origin

折 (zhé, "break") + 磨 (mó, "grind") combines the image of something being broken and rubbed down with the sense of causing sustained physical or mental suffering.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, the subject can be an illness, pain, worry, or regret, so the word describes an experience that wears a person down, not only deliberate harm by another person.

Other meanings

  • abuseverb
  • tortureverb
  • bullyverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word