nánguò: 难过 - Sad, To Feel Bad, Hard to Bear

Keywords: nanguo, nan guo, nanguo meaning, how to say sad in Chinese, 难过, feeling sad in Chinese, 难过 vs 伤心, nanguo vs shāngxīn, Chinese word for upset, HSK 3 vocabulary

Summary for Search Engines: Learn the meaning and usage of “难过” (nánguò), the most common Chinese word for “sad” or “to feel bad.” This guide explores its dual meaning of emotional sadness and physical discomfort, its cultural nuances compared to deep heartbreak (伤心, shāngxīn), and provides 10+ practical example sentences for beginner and intermediate learners. Understand how to use 难过 in daily conversation, on social media, and avoid common mistakes.

Pinyin (with tone marks): nán guò

Part of Speech: Adjective / Verb

HSK Level: HSK 3

Concise Definition: To feel sad, upset, or grieved; to have a hard time.

In a Nutshell: 难过 is the go-to, everyday word for “sad” in Mandarin Chinese. Its literal meaning is “difficult to pass,” which vividly paints a picture of enduring a tough emotional state or a difficult period of time. It covers a wide range of negative feelings, from mild disappointment to significant grief, and can even describe a feeling of physical discomfort.

难 (nán): Difficult, hard, troublesome. This character depicts a struggle.

过 (guò): To pass, to cross over, to go through (an experience or time).

Together, 难过 (nánguò) literally means “hard to pass through.” This beautifully captures the essence of sadness as a difficult period one must endure. When you feel 难过, it's as if time is moving slowly and the emotional state is a difficult landscape to cross.

Internalized Sadness: 难过 often describes an internal, personal feeling of sadness. It's less dramatic than its counterpart, 伤心 (shāngxīn), which implies a visible, deep hurt or heartbreak. Expressing that you are 难过 is a common and socially acceptable way to share your negative feelings without being overly dramatic.

Somatic Expression of Emotion: A unique aspect of 难过 is its dual use for emotional and physical states. In Chinese culture, it's not uncommon to express emotional distress through physical symptoms. Saying “我心里很难过” (wǒ xīnli hěn nánguò - “my heart feels very bad”) bridges this gap. This is different from the English “sad,” which is almost exclusively emotional. A Chinese person might say they feel 难过 after overeating, meaning they feel sick or uncomfortable, a usage that would confuse an English speaker translating directly.

Emphasis on Endurance: The characters themselves—“hard to pass”—reflect a cultural perspective of viewing hardship and sadness as something to be endured and passed through, rather than a state to be permanently fixed.

Everyday Conversations: This is the most frequent word you'll hear for general sadness. It's used for anything from failing an exam, missing a friend, to hearing bad news. It is generally informal.

Expressing Empathy: A very common phrase to comfort someone is “别难过了” (bié nánguò le), meaning “Don't be sad.”

Physical Discomfort: While 不舒服 (bù shūfu) is the more general term for “unwell,” 难过 is often used to describe a specific feeling of discomfort, particularly in the stomach or chest. For example, “我吃太多了，现在有点难过” (Wǒ chī tài duō le, xiànzài yǒudiǎn nánguò) - “I ate too much, now I feel a bit sick.”

Social Media: On platforms like WeChat (微信) and Weibo (微博), users frequently post “好难过” (hǎo nánguò - “so sad”) to express their feelings about personal events, movies, or news.

Example 1: 听到这个消息，我心里很难过。

Pinyin: Tīngdào zhège xiāoxi, wǒ xīnli hěn nánguò.

English: Hearing this news, my heart feels very sad.

Analysis: A standard example showing 难过 as a reaction to bad news. “心里” (xīnli - in the heart) is often added to emphasize the emotional nature of the feeling.

Example 2: 你怎么了？为什么看起来这么难过？

Pinyin: Nǐ zěnme le? Wèishénme kànqǐlái zhème nánguò?

English: What's wrong with you? Why do you look so sad?

Analysis: This is a common way to ask someone what's bothering them. It's a caring and gentle question.

Example 3: 别难过了，一切都会好起来的。

Pinyin: Bié nánguò le, yíqiè dōu huì hǎo qǐlái de.

English: Don't be sad anymore, everything will get better.

Analysis: “别…了” (bié…le) is a pattern used to tell someone to stop doing something. This is a classic phrase for comforting a friend.

Example 4: 这部电影的结局让我很难过。

Pinyin: Zhè bù diànyǐng de jiéjú ràng wǒ hěn nánguò.

English: The ending of this movie made me very sad.

Analysis: The structure “让 + someone + [adjective]” (ràng - to make/let) is extremely common for explaining the cause of an emotion.

Example 5: 考试没考好，他难过了好几天。

Pinyin: Kǎoshì méi kǎo hǎo, tā nánguò le hǎo jǐ tiān.

English: He didn't do well on the exam and was sad for several days.

Analysis: This shows that 难过 can be a state that lasts over a period of time. “好几天” (hǎo jǐ tiān) means “for many days.”

Example 6: 我不是生气，我只是有点儿难过。

Pinyin: Wǒ búshì shēngqì, wǒ zhǐshì yǒudiǎnr nánguò.

English: I'm not angry, I'm just a little sad.

Analysis: This is useful for clarifying your emotions, distinguishing sadness from anger. “有点儿” (yǒudiǎnr) softens the feeling, meaning “a little bit.”

Example 7: 想到要离开朋友们，我就难过得想哭。

Pinyin: Xiǎngdào yào líkāi péngyoumen, wǒ jiù nánguò de xiǎng kū.

English: Thinking about having to leave my friends makes me so sad I want to cry.

Analysis: The structure “[Adjective] + 得 + [Result]” describes the degree of the adjective. Here, the sadness is so intense it leads to the desire to cry.

Example 8: 昨天晚上吃坏了肚子，难过了一整夜。

Pinyin: Zuótiān wǎnshang chī huài le dùzi, nánguò le yì zhěng yè.

English: I ate something bad last night and felt sick the whole night.

Analysis: A perfect example of 难过 being used for physical discomfort, specifically stomach trouble.

Example 9: 看到流浪猫在雨中，我感到非常难过。

Pinyin: Kàndào liúlàng māo zài yǔ zhōng, wǒ gǎndào fēicháng nánguò.

English: Seeing the stray cat in the rain, I felt very sad.

Analysis: “感到” (gǎndào) means “to feel” and is often used with emotional adjectives like 难过.

Example 10: 人生最难过的关，就是自己这一关。

Pinyin: Rénshēng zuì nánguò de guān, jiùshì zìjǐ zhè yī guān.

English: The most difficult hurdle to get over in life is oneself.

Analysis: This philosophical sentence uses 难过 in its more literal sense of “hard to pass/get over.” “关” (guān) here means a hurdle or checkpoint.

伤心 (shāngxīn) - A more intense synonym for sadness; heartbroken, grieved.

难受 (nánshòu) - A very close synonym; “uncomfortable” or “hard to bear,” often used for physical illness but also for emotional pain.

悲伤 (bēishāng) - A more formal and literary word for “sad” or “sorrowful.” You'd see it in writing or hear it in solemn contexts.

痛苦 (tòngkǔ) - Pain, agony, suffering. This is stronger than 难过 and can be either physical or emotional.

不开心 (bù kāixīn) - Not happy. A very direct and often milder way to express negative feelings. It lacks the “heavy” feeling of 难过.

失望 (shīwàng) - Disappointed. Describes the feeling when your hopes are not met.

郁闷 (yùmèn) - Gloomy, depressed, pent-up frustration. Describes a specific mood of being down and unable to vent.

安慰 (ānwèi) - To comfort, to console. This is the action you take to help someone who is feeling 难过.

可惜 (kěxī) - It's a pity; regrettable. This describes a situation, not a person's deep feeling. A situation can be 可惜, which might make you feel 难过.