sam1 tung3心痛
Jyutpingsam1 tung3
Yalesām tung
Definition
Distressed, pained, or feeling sorry for someone upon seeing their miserable situation.
colloquialemotionpeople
How it's used
Expresses a deep, empathetic sadness or heartache for someone else's suffering or hardship. It is distinct from physical pain and is often used by parents to describe their feelings toward their children or by friends expressing genuine concern for someone in a difficult situation.
Examples
I feel so distressed seeing how thin that stray cat is.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe physical chest pain, as that would be 心口痛. Using it for physical pain can lead to confusion because it is strictly reserved for emotional distress.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
