caam2 zyut6 jan4 waan4慘絕人寰惨绝人寰
Jyutpingcaam2 zyut6 jan4 waan4
Yalecháam jyuht yàhn wàahn
Definition
Tragic beyond compare; extremely miserable and unprecedented in the human world.
writtendescriptionsemotion
How it's used
Reserved for describing events of extreme, almost unimaginable suffering or cruelty, this idiom carries a heavy, formal weight that makes it sound quite dramatic in casual conversation. It is rarely used for minor personal misfortunes, as it implies a scale of tragedy that affects humanity at large or shocks the public conscience. Using it to describe a bad day or a failed test would sound hyperbolic and sarcastic.
Examples
This accident is truly tragic beyond compare, it is heartbreaking to watch.
Why did such an unimaginably tragic event happen?
Related words
Common phrases
a tragedy of unimaginable proportions
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe personal inconveniences or standard bad news, as the term is specifically reserved for catastrophic, life-altering, or historical tragedies. It is not a synonym for simply being sad or unlucky.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
