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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'painful' with 痛苦 (tòngkǔ)

    Degree & Intensity
    Description & Modification

    Structure

    Subject + 痛苦 + 地 + Verb

    Explanation

    痛苦 (tòngkǔ) means "painful" or "suffering" and can function as both an adjective and a noun. It combines 痛 (pain) and 苦 (bitterness) to express deep physical or emotional distress. For example, 在痛苦中过日子 means "to spend one's days in suffering."

    Examples

    • 失去亲人的痛苦让她好久都走不出来。

      Shīqù qīnrén de tòngkǔ ràng tā hǎojiǔ dōu zǒu bù chūlái.

      The pain of losing a loved one kept her unable to move on for a long time.

    • 他忍受着伤口的痛苦继续跑完了比赛。

      Tā rěnshòuzhe shāngkǒu de tòngkǔ jìxù pǎowánle bǐsài.

      He endured the pain of his wound and kept running to finish the race.

    • 那段痛苦的经历让他变得更坚强了。

      Nà duàn tòngkǔ de jīnglì ràng tā biàn de gèng jiānqiáng le.

      That painful experience made him become stronger.

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