Chinese word

难过

Pronunciation

Pinyinnán guò

Meaning

  • adjectivesad

Example

听到这个消息，我很难过。tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xī wǒ hěn nán guò

When I heard the news, I was very sad.

Illustration for 难过 (sad)

More examples

看到朋友受伤，我为他难过。kàn dào péng yǒu shòu shāng wǒ wèi tā nán guò

When I saw my friend injured, I felt sad for him.

Core concept

A painful inner burden that makes a difficult moment hard to pass.

Common phrases

  • 感到难过gǎn dào nán guò

    feel sad

  • 为他难过wèi tā nán guò

    feel sad for him

Similar words

悲伤bēi shāng: A deep, quiet sadness that continues over time.
失望shī wàng: Feeling let down and upset because hopes or expectations have not been met.
难受nán shòu: Feeling emotionally heavy and distressed during a painful time.

Definition in Chinese

因遭受打击、失望或伤心而感到痛苦或不安，心情受到影响。yīn zāo shòu dǎ jī shī wàng huò shāng xīn ér gǎn dào tòng kǔ huò bù ān xīn qíng shòu dào yíng xiǎng

Word origin

难过 (nánguò, "sad") is formed from 难 (nán, "difficult") + 过 (guò, "pass through"), linking emotional pain with the sense of being unable to get past a difficult moment.

Usage tips

  • In Chinese, an adjective can directly follow the subject to report a feeling, so this word does not need a separate verb equivalent to feel.

Other meanings

  • hardadjective
  • sorryadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word