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痛tòngache; pain

HSK 4word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

痛 (tòng) means "ache" or "pain," and it can describe sorrow; as an adverb it means "deeply" or "thoroughly." It often follows a body part, as in 头痛 (headache) or 我的腿很痛 (my leg hurts), to say that the part hurts or aches.

What does 痛 mean?

  1. 1.

    ache; painadjective

  2. 2.

    sorrownoun

  3. 3.

    deeply; thoroughlyadverb

What does the character 痛 mean?

  • 痛ache; pain

How do you use 痛?

痛 often comes after a body part (头痛, 腿痛); 疼 is a close everyday word for the same feeling.

Patterns

  • body part + 痛

    我眼睛有点痛。

    Wǒ yǎnjing yǒudiǎn tòng.

    My eyes hurt a little.

What are some examples of 痛 in a sentence?

  1. HSK 2

    我头很痛。

    Wǒ tóu hěn tòng.

    My head really hurts.

  2. HSK 3

    他的腿还痛吗？

    Tā de tuǐ hái tòng ma?

    Does his leg still hurt?

  3. HSK 3

    吃了药以后就不痛了。

    Chī le yào yǐhòu jiù bú tòng le.

    After taking the medicine, it stopped hurting.

How is 痛 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    你怎么了？

    Nǐ zěnme le?

    What's wrong?

  2. Speaker B:

    我肚子痛。

    Wǒ dùzi tòng.

    My stomach hurts.

  3. Speaker A:

    你想去医院吗？

    Nǐ xiǎng qù yīyuàn ma?

    Do you want to go to the hospital?

  4. Speaker B:

    先休息一下，不行再去。

    Xiān xiūxi yíxià, bù xíng zài qù.

    I'll rest first; if it doesn't get better, I'll go.

What should you learn next?

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English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.