痛苦

tòngkǔ

adjective HSK 3 #855

Meanings

失去亲人是很痛苦的。

Shīqù qīnrén shì hěn tòngkǔ de.

Losing a loved one is very painful.

他痛苦地看着她离开。

Tā tòngkǔ de kàn zhe tā líkāi.

He watched in agony as she left.

别让自己活在痛苦中。

Bié ràng zìjǐ huó zài tòngkǔ zhōng.

Don't let yourself live in suffering.

usage

痛苦 can be used as both an adjective (painful) and a noun (suffering/pain). As a noun: 他的痛苦没人理解 'Nobody understands his suffering.'

grammar

Often paired with 地 as an adverb: 痛苦地哭了 'cried painfully.'

痛 tòng

苦 kǔ