慘淡

See also: 惨淡

Chinese

		miserable; wretched; cruel miserable; wretched; cruel; inhuman; seriously; badly; tragic	insipid; diluted; weak insipid; diluted; weak; light in colour; tasteless; fresh; indifferent; nitrogen
trad. (慘淡)		慘	淡
simp. (惨淡)		惨	淡
alternative forms		慘澹／惨澹

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): cǎndàn

  (Zhuyin): ㄘㄢˇ ㄉㄢˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): caam² daam⁶
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): chhám-tām / chhám-tǎm

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Hanyu Pinyin: cǎndàn
    • Zhuyin: ㄘㄢˇ ㄉㄢˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: cǎndàn
    • Wade–Giles: tsʻan³-tan⁴
    • Yale: tsǎn-dàn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsaandann
    • Palladius: цаньдань (canʹdanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰän²¹⁴⁻²¹ tän⁵¹/
    • Homophones:

      [Show/Hide]
      edit edit 慘淡／惨淡 慘澹／惨澹 黲淡／黪淡

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: caam² daam⁶
    • Yale: cháam daahm
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsaam² daam⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: cam² dam⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰaːm³⁵ taːm²²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhám-tām
    • Tâi-lô: tshám-tām
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zhafmdam
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰam⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ tam³³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡sʰam⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tam³³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sʰam⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ tam⁴¹/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /t͡sʰam⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tam²²/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhám-tǎm
    • Tâi-lô: tshám-tǎm
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sʰam⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ tam²²/

Adjective

慘淡

1. gloomy; sombre; dim
2. sad; desolate
3. (of business, situation, etc.) bleak; slack

   • 這些日子，家中光景很是慘澹，一半為了喪事，一半為了父親賦閒。 [MSC, trad.]
     这些日子，家中光景很是惨澹，一半为了丧事，一半为了父亲赋闲。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1925, 朱自清 (Zhu Ziqing), 背影 (Retreating Figure)

     Zhèxiē rìzi, jiā zhōng guāngjǐng hěn shì cǎndàn, yībàn wèile sāngshì, yībàn wèile fùqīn fùxián. [Pinyin]

     These days our family is in reduced circumstances, due partly to the funeral expenses and partly to father's unemployment.

4. painstaking

Synonyms

• (dim):

• 冥冥 (míngmíng) (literary)
• 慘／惨 (cǎn) (literary, or in compounds)
• 慘白／惨白 (cǎnbái)
• 昏暗 (hūn'àn)
• 昏沉 (hūnchén)
• 昏黑 (hūnhēi)
• 晦冥 (huìmíng) (literary, used both literally and figuratively)
• 晦暗 (huì'àn) (literary)
• 暗淡 (àndàn) (used both literally and figuratively)
• 烏暗／乌暗 (Hokkien, Teochew)
• 陰幽／阴幽 (yīnyōu) (literary)
• 黑暗 (hēi'àn)

 

• (sad):

• 京京 (jīngjīng) (literary)
• 傷心／伤心 (shāngxīn)
• 傷悲／伤悲 (shāngbēi) (literary)
• 傷感／伤感 (shānggǎn)
• 傷懷／伤怀 (shānghuái) (literary)
• 傷痛／伤痛 (shāngtòng)
• 傷神／伤神 (shāngshén) (literary)
• 刺心 (cìxīn)
• 哀傷／哀伤 (āishāng)
• 哀切 (āiqiè)
• 哀怨 (āiyuàn)
• 哀悽／哀凄 (āiqī)
• 哀慟／哀恸 (āitòng)
• 哀戚 (āiqī) (literary)
• 哀痛 (āitòng)
• 心酸 (xīnsuān)
• 怛傷／怛伤 (dáshāng) (literary)
• 悄然 (qiǎorán) (literary)
• 情傷／情伤 (qíngshāng) (literary)
• 悲催 (bēicuī) (neologism, jocular)
• 悲傷／悲伤 (bēishāng)
• 悲切 (bēiqiè) (literary)
• 悲哀 (bēi'āi)
• 悲悽／悲凄 (bēiqī)
• 悱惻／悱恻 (fěicè) (literary)
• 悽惶／凄惶 (qīhuáng) (literary)
• 悲愴／悲怆 (bēichuàng) (literary)
• 悽愴／凄怆 (qīchuàng) (literary)
• 悲慘／悲惨 (bēicǎn)
• 悲慟／悲恸 (bēitòng)
• 悲戚 (bēiqī)
• 悽戚／凄戚 (qīqī) (literary)
• 悲摧 (bēicuī) (literary)
• 悲楚 (bēichǔ) (literary)
• 悲涼／悲凉 (bēiliáng)
• 悲痛 (bēitòng)
• 悲苦 (bēikǔ)
• 感傷／感伤 (gǎnshāng)
• 愀愴／愀怆 (qiǎochuàng)
• 愁楚 (chóuchǔ) (literary)
• 惻然／恻然 (cèrán) (literary)
• 愴然／怆然 (chuàngrán) (literary)
• 慘／惨 (cǎn)
• 憂傷／忧伤 (yōushāng)
• 慘悽／惨凄 (cǎnqī)
• 憂愁／忧愁 (yōuchóu)
• 憂戚／忧戚 (yōuqī) (literary)
• 憯懍／憯懔 (cǎnlǐn)
• 懤懤／㤽㤽 (chóuchóu)
• 沉痛 (chéntòng)
• 淒切／凄切 (qīqiè)
• 淒惻／凄恻 (qīcè) (literary)
• 淒慘／凄惨 (qīcǎn)
• 淒楚／凄楚 (qīchǔ)
• 淒涼／凄凉 (qīliáng)
• 淒然／凄然 (qīrán) (literary)
• 痛心 (tòngxīn)
• 艱苦心／艰苦心 (Hokkien)
• 蒼涼／苍凉 (cāngliáng)
• 酸心 (suānxīn)
• 難受／难受 (nánshòu)
• 難過／难过 (nánguò)
• 青凊 (Hokkien)
• 黯然 (ànrán)

 

• (bleak):

• 不景 (bùjǐng) (Hong Kong)
• 不景氣／不景气 (bùjǐngqì)
• 低迷 (dīmí)
• 冷淡 (lěngdàn)
• 清淡 (qīngdàn)
• 蕭條／萧条 (xiāotiáo)

 

• (painstaking):

• 不苟 (bùgǒu) (formal)
• 仔細／仔细 (zǐxì)
• 嚴／严 (yán)
• 嚴肅／严肃 (yánsù)
• 嚴謹／严谨 (yánjǐn)
• 密切 (mìqiè)
• 審慎／审慎 (shěnshèn) (formal)
• 小心 (xiǎoxīn)
• 慎密 (shènmì)
• 慎重 (shènzhòng)
• 板正 (bǎnzhèng)
• 正經／正经
• 當心／当心 (dāngxīn)
• 精心 (jīngxīn)
• 精細／精细 (jīngxì)
• 細心／细心 (xìxīn)
• 細膩／细腻 (xìnì) (Min)
• 認真／认真 (rènzhēn)
• 謹嚴／谨严 (jǐnyán)
• 謹慎／谨慎 (jǐnshèn)
• 較真／较真 (jiàozhēn) (colloquial)
• 過細／过细 (guòxì)
• 鞠躬 (jūgōng) (literary)

 

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “bleak”):

• 全盛 (quánshèng)
• 卬卬 (áng'áng) (literary)
• 富強／富强 (fùqiáng)
• 富昌 (fùchāng) (literary)
• 富盛 (fùshèng) (literary)
• 強盛／强盛 (qiángshèng)
• 昌 (literary, or in compounds)
• 昌明 (chāngmíng) (literary, of a government, culture, etc.)
• 昌盛 (chāngshèng)
• 旺盛 (wàngshèng)
• 昌隆 (chānglóng)
• 景氣／景气 (jǐngqì)
• 暢旺／畅旺 (chàngwàng)
• 條暢／条畅 (tiáochàng) (literary)
• 火爆 (huǒbào)
• 紅火／红火 (hónghuo) (mainland China)
• 繁榮／繁荣 (fánróng)
• 繁盛 (fánshèng)
• 繁華／繁华 (fánhuá)
• 興旺／兴旺 (xīngwàng)
• 興盛／兴盛 (xīngshèng)
• 興隆／兴隆 (xīnglóng)
• 茂盛 (màoshèng)
• 蓬勃 (péngbó)
• 蕃昌 (fánchāng) (literary)
• 軫軫／轸轸 (zhěnzhěn) (literary)
• 隆昌 (lóngchāng) (literary)
• 隆盛 (lóngshèng)
• 鼎盛 (dǐngshèng)

 

Related terms

• 盡心竭力／尽心竭力 (jìnxīnjiélì)