惨

cǎn

HSK 3.0 Level 7 Adjective Common

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Definitions

1. miserable
2. wretched
3. cruel
4. inhuman
5. disastrous
6. tragic
7. dim
8. gloomy

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Character focus

Stroke order

11 strokes

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Word relationships

Related words

2 items

• 狠毒 hěn dú 狠毒 hěn dú vicious 强调残忍、恶毒的手段: vicious
• 凄惨 qī cǎn 凄惨 qī cǎn plaintive 常用于形容命运或结局: plaintive

Synonyms

2 items

• 凄惨 qī cǎn 凄惨 qī cǎn plaintive 形容处境或遭遇痛苦悲惨: plaintive
• 悲惨 bēi cǎn 悲惨 bēi cǎn miserable 形容极其痛苦、不幸: miserable

Usage notes

Common mistakes

“惨”单独作谓语时常与程度副词“很、非常、太”搭配，避免直接说“他惨”。正确的说法如：“他的遭遇很惨”。

Formality

“惨”常用于口语和书面语，但在正式文体中更常用“悲惨”或“凄惨”。

Example Sentences

1 shown

这场比赛我们输得很 惨 。

We lost this match miserably.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 惨

• 悲惨 悲惨 bēi cǎn: miserable
• 惨痛 惨痛 cǎn tòng: bitter
• 惨白 惨白 cǎn bái: deathly pale
• 惨重 惨重 cǎn zhòng: disastrous
• 伤心惨目 伤心惨目 shāng xīn cǎn mù: (idiom) too appalling to look at
• 四一二惨案 四一二惨案 sì yī èr cǎn àn: the massacre of 12th Mar 1927
• 悲惨世界 悲惨世界 bēi cǎn shì jiè: Les Misérables (1862) by Victor Hugo 維克多·雨果|维克多·雨果[wéi kè duō · yǔ guǒ]
• 凄惨 凄惨 qī cǎn: plaintive
• 惨不忍睹 惨不忍睹 cǎn bù rěn dǔ: lit. so horrible that one cannot bear to look (idiom)
• 惨不忍闻 惨不忍闻 cǎn bù rěn wén: (idiom) dreadful to hear
• 惨事 惨事 cǎn shì: disaster
• 惨剧 惨剧 cǎn jù: tragedy
• 惨叫 惨叫 cǎn jiào: to scream
• 惨境 惨境 cǎn jìng: wretched situation
• 惨怛 惨怛 cǎn dá: grieved
• 惨戮 惨戮 cǎn lù: (literary) to massacre; to slaughter; to brutally kill
• 惨败 惨败 cǎn bài: to suffer a crushing defeat
• 惨景 惨景 cǎn jǐng: wretched sight
• 惨案 惨案 cǎn àn: massacre
• 惨死 惨死 cǎn sǐ: to die tragically
• 惨杀 惨杀 cǎn shā: to slaughter
• 惨毒 惨毒 cǎn dú: cruel
• 惨况 惨况 cǎn kuàng: tragic situation; dreadful state
• 惨淡 惨淡 cǎn dàn: dark
• 惨淡经营 惨淡经营 cǎn dàn jīng yíng: to manage by painstaking effort (idiom)
• 惨烈 惨烈 cǎn liè: bitter
• 惨无人道 惨无人道 cǎn wú rén dào: inhuman (idiom)
• 惨然 惨然 cǎn rán: grieved
• 惨状 惨状 cǎn zhuàng: devastation
• 惨祸 惨祸 cǎn huò: terrible tragedy
• 惨笑 惨笑 cǎn xiào: bitter smile
• 惨红 惨红 cǎn hóng: dark red
• 惨绝人寰 惨绝人寰 cǎn jué rén huán: extremely tragic (idiom); with unprecedented brutality
• 惨变 惨变 cǎn biàn: calamitous turn of events
• 惨遭 惨遭 cǎn zāo: to suffer (defeat, death etc)
• 惨遭不幸 惨遭不幸 cǎn zāo bù xìng: to meet with disaster
• 惨酷 惨酷 cǎn kù: (literary) cruel; savage; merciless
• 绿惨红愁 绿惨红愁 lǜ cǎn hóng chóu: (of women) grieved appearance (idiom)