How common it is
痛苦 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say tòngkǔ slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
痛苦是形容身体或心里非常难受的感觉。
Tòngkǔ shì xíngróng shēntǐ huò xīnlǐ fēicháng nánshòu de gǎnjué.
Painful describes a feeling of great discomfort in the body or mind.
Context note
摔倒了会感到痛苦，但朋友安慰后就会好一些。
Shuāi dǎo le huì gǎndào tòngkǔ, dàn péngyǒu ānwèi hòu jiù huì hǎo yīxiē.
Falling down can be painful, but after a friend comforts you, it gets better.
5 examples
他摔倒了，膝盖很痛苦。
tā shuāi dǎo le， xī gài hěn tòng kǔ。
He fell down, and his knee is very painful.
生病的时候，身体会感到痛苦。
shēng bìng de shí hòu， shēn tǐ huì gǎn dào tòng kǔ。
When sick, the body feels painful.
失去玩具让他很痛苦。
shī qù wán jù ràng tā hěn tòng kǔ。
Losing the toy made him very painful.
考试没考好，他心里很痛苦。
kǎo shì méi kǎo hǎo， tā xīn lǐ hěn tòng kǔ。
He didn't do well on the exam, and he felt painful inside.
痛苦的感觉会慢慢消失。
tòng kǔ de gǎn jué huì màn màn xiāo shī。
The painful feeling will slowly disappear.
5 mini stories
小华跑步时摔倒了，膝盖很痛苦。
xiǎo huá pǎo bù shí shuāi dǎo le， xī gài hěn tòng kǔ。
Xiao Hua fell while running, and his knee was painful.
老师帮他擦药，痛苦减轻了。
lǎo shī bāng tā cā yào， tòng kǔ jiǎn qīng le。
The teacher helped him apply medicine, and the pain became less painful.
小狗受伤了，看起来很痛苦。
xiǎo gǒu shòu shāng le， kàn qǐ lái hěn tòng kǔ。
The puppy was hurt and looked very painful.
小明轻轻抚摸它，痛苦慢慢消失了。
xiǎo míng qīng qīng fǔ mō tā， tòng kǔ màn màn xiāo shī le。
Xiao Ming gently petted it, and the pain slowly went away.
朋友吵架后，心里很痛苦。
péng yǒu chǎo jià hòu， xīn lǐ hěn tòng kǔ。
After friends argued, they felt painful inside.