痛苦

tòng kǔ

HSK 2.0 Level 5 HSK 3.0 Level 5 Adjective Very common

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Definitions

1. pain
2. suffering
3. painful

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Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

• 舒服 shū fu 舒服 shū fu comfortable 身体或精神上轻松愉快: comfortable

Register variants

1 item

• 煎熬 jiān áo 煎熬 jiān áo to suffer 煎熬口语和书面都可使用，强调被折磨的感觉，较痛苦更口语化: to suffer

Related words

1 item

• 难过 nán guò 难过 nán guò to feel sad 痛苦侧重于持久的、内在的感受，难过更短暂、外在: to feel sad

Synonyms

1 item

• 苦难 kǔ nàn 苦难 kǔ nàn suffering 都指难受的体验，但苦难更强调深重的磨难: suffering

Usage notes

Collocations

Commonly used with 感到 or 觉得: 感到痛苦, 觉得很痛苦.

Common mistakes

Learners often confuse 痛苦 with 疼; 疼 is primarily physical pain, while 痛苦 can be physical or emotional suffering.

Example Sentences

2 shown

战争给人民带来了 痛苦 。

War brings suffering to the people.

他无法忍受这样的 痛苦 。

He cannot bear such pain.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 痛苦

• 万分痛苦 万分痛苦 wàn fēn tòng kǔ: excruciating

Child Words of 痛苦

• 痛 痛 tòng: ache
• 苦 苦 kǔ: bitter