痛苦

tòngkǔ

adjective HSK 3 #855

Meanings

Shīqù qīnrén shì hěn tòngkǔ de.

Losing a loved one is very painful.

Tā tòngkǔ de kànzhe tā líkāi.

He watched in agony as she left.

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 (de) as an adverb: 痛苦地哭了 'cried painfully.'

痛 tòng

苦 kǔ