Chinese word

遇难

Pronunciation

Pinyinyù nàn

Meaning

  • verbdie in a disaster

Example

他们在山上遇难了。tā men zài shān shàng yù nàn le

They died in a disaster on the mountain.

Illustration for 遇难 (die in a disaster)

More examples

那艘渔船在风暴中遇难，幸存者很少。nà sōu yú chuán zài fēng bào zhōng yù nàn xìng cún zhě hén shǎo

That fishing boat was lost in the storm, and there were few survivors.

Core concept

A disaster overtakes a person, leaving death or serious injury as the outcome.

Common phrases

  • 在海上遇难zài hǎi shàng yù nàn

    die in a disaster at sea

  • 在山上遇难zài shān shàng yù nàn

    die in a disaster on the mountain

Similar words

遇险yù xiǎn: Fall into danger or a life-threatening situation without necessarily dying.
失联shī lián: Lose contact so that a person's location or safety becomes unknown.
丧生sàng shēng: Lose one's life in an accident, incident, or other harmful event.

Definition in Chinese

遭遇灾害或事故，导致死亡或严重伤害。zāo yù zāi hài huò shì gù dǎo zhì sǐ wáng huò yán zhòng shāng hài

Word origin

遇难 (yùnàn, "to die in a disaster") combines 遇 (yù, "to encounter") with 难 (nàn, "calamity"), presenting death or grave injury as the result of meeting a calamity.

Usage tips

  • Because this word usually signals a confirmed fatal or very serious outcome, it is too strong for a report when the person's condition is still unknown.

Opposites

Related words

  • 遇难者yù nàn zhědisaster victimnoun
  • 遇难现场yù nàn xiàn chǎngdisaster sitenoun

Word lists with this word