Chinese word

痛苦

Pronunciation

Pinyintòng kǔ

Meaning

  • nounpain

Example

失去亲人对他来说是一种痛苦。shī qù qīn rén duì tā lái shuō shì yì zhǒng tòng kǔ

For him, losing a loved one is a kind of pain.

Illustration for 痛苦 (pain)

More examples

看到孩子康复，她的痛苦逐渐消失了。kàn dào hái zi kāng fù tā de tòng kǔ zhú jiàn xiāo shī le

As she watched her child recover, her pain gradually disappeared.

Core concept

A heavy inner burden that makes emotional hurt difficult to bear.

Common phrases

  • 摆脱痛苦bǎi tuō tòng kǔ

    break free from pain

  • 缓解痛苦huán jiě tòng kǔ

    ease pain

  • 身体的痛苦shēn tǐ de tòng kǔ

    physical suffering

Similar words

悲痛bēi tòng: The deep anguish that comes from grief and loss.
伤痛shāng tòng: Pain left deep inside by an injury, loss, or parting.
悲伤bēi shāng: A deep, heavy sadness felt in the heart.
苦恼kú nǎo: The emotional strain of feeling troubled by worries or difficulties.

Definition in Chinese

内心遭受折磨或悲伤时产生的强烈不快或痛楚的状态，通常指难以忍受的精神或情感上的苦楚。nèi xīn zāo shòu zhé mó huò bēi shāng shí chǎn shēng de qiáng liè bú kuài huò tòng chǔ de zhuàng tài tōng cháng zhǐ nán yí rěn shòu de jīng shén huò qíng gǎn shàng de kú chǔ

Word origin

痛 (tòng, "pain") + 苦 (kǔ, "bitterness and hardship") combine bodily hurt with hardship, giving the word its strong sense of anguish and suffering.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, the word can describe emotional hardship caused by loss, failure, or separation, so it is stronger than an ordinary complaint about feeling bad.

Other meanings

  • sufferingnoun
  • distressnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word