sam1 syun1心酸
Jyutpingsam1 syun1
Yalesām syūn
Definition
Sorrowful, heartrending, or feeling a sense of grief and sadness.
colloquialemotion
How it's used
Focuses on a deep, lingering sense of pity or sadness often triggered by witnessing someone else's misfortune or hardship. It carries a more personal and empathetic weight than simply being sad, as it implies the feeling is physically felt in the heart. It is frequently used when discussing social issues or tragic life circumstances.
Examples
It is truly heartrending to see their family in such a miserable state.
After hearing this story, did you feel a sense of sorrow?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 傷心, which is a general term for being sad or heartbroken due to personal loss or disappointment. 心酸 specifically describes the empathetic ache one feels for others' suffering.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
