傷害 / 伤害
shānghài
To hurt in Mandarin is expressed as 傷害 / 伤害 (shānghài). Wiktionary also lists 傷 / 伤 (shāng).
Meaning: to cause physical pain and/or injury (verb)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 傷害 / 伤害 | shānghài |
| 傷 / 伤 | shāng |
The verb refers to causing physical pain or injury. While it can be used for emotional harm, the specific term for feeling emotionally hurt or sad is 傷心 / 伤心.
Which one should you use?
The two-syllable form 傷害 / 伤害 is used for more formal or general contexts when describing the act of causing physical or emotional harm.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the passive sense of 'getting hurt' or 'being injured', use the construction 受傷 / 受伤 (shòushāng) instead of the active verb. If you need to use 'hurt' as an adjective, such as in 'the injured person', use the form 受傷的 / 受伤的.
How do you pronounce it?
shānghài
Did you know?
- The character 傷 / 伤 contains a component that relates to 'ulcers', suggesting that the concept of 'hurt' is historically linked to physical swellings or sores.
- The character 傷 / 伤 is often used in traditional medicine to describe 'internal injuries' that are not visible to the eye, such as those caused by stress or fatigue.
- Using 傷害 / 伤害 to describe a person's feelings can sometimes imply a deliberate act of harm rather than just a feeling of being upset.
Examples in context
- 我的头很疼 (wǒ de tóu hěn téng)My head hurts.
- 我的背很酸 (wǒ de bèi hěn suān)My back is sore.
- 我的心受伤了 (wǒ de xīn shòushāngle)My heart is hurt.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hurt” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 傷, CC BY-SA 4.0.
