惨痛 cǎntòng bitter
bitter; painful; deeply distressed
How to remember 惨痛: 惨 miserable + 痛 ache = bitter.
Characters
How it is used
- Bitterly painful - of lessons, losses, memories that hurt deeply - 惨痛的教训 (cǎntòng de jiàoxùn) a painful lesson, 惨痛的经历 (cǎntòng de jīnglì) a harrowing experience.
- Combines wretchedness (惨) and pain (痛); reserved for grave, costly suffering.
- Very common in 惨痛的教训 - a lesson learned the hard way.