Chinese word

痛

Pronunciation

Pinyintòng

Meaning

  • adjectivepainful

Example

我的头痛。wǒ de tóu tòng

My head hurts.

Illustration for 痛 (painful)

More examples

昨晚感冒，喉咙痛。zuó wǎn gǎn mào hóu lóng tòng

I caught a cold last night, and my throat hurts.

Core concept

A clear signal from the body or feelings that something hurts, from a brief pang to lasting discomfort.

Common phrases

  • 头痛tóu tòng

    headache

  • 肚子痛dù zi tòng

    stomachache

  • 喉咙痛hóu lóng tòng

    sore throat

Similar words

疼téng: Feeling an aching or throbbing pain in the body.
难受nán shòu: Feeling physically or emotionally unwell and uncomfortable.

Definition in Chinese

表示身体或内心感到疼痛的状态，也可作动词表示感到疼痛。biǎo shì shēn tǐ huò nèi xīn gǎn dào téng tòng de zhuàng tài yě kě zuò dòng cí biǎo shì gǎn dào téng tòng

Word origin

In 痛 (tòng, "painful"), 疒 (nè, "illness") marks the meaning as related to bodily trouble, while 甬 (yǒng, "pathway") serves mainly as the sound component.

Usage tips

  • The subject helps identify the focus: a person as subject describes the person's experience, while a body part as subject locates the hurt.

Other meanings

  • acheverb
  • throbverb
  • painnoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word