难受

• Pinyin: nán shòu
• Hanzi breakdown: 难 (nán) — difficult; 受 (shòu) — to bear, to endure

Meaning

Uncomfortable; unwell; to feel bad. Describes physical discomfort or emotional distress.

Covers both physical and emotional discomfort. Physically: nausea, pain, illness. Emotionally: feeling upset, distressed, or miserable. More general than 难过 (which is primarily emotional) because 难受 equally applies to the body.

Examples

1. 我今天肚子很难受。 My stomach feels really uncomfortable today.
2. 吃了太多东西，胃很难受。 I ate too much and my stomach feels bad.
3. 看到他那样，我心里很难受。 Seeing him like that made me feel terrible inside.

Usage Guide

Context: health, emotion, everyday

Tone: sympathetic

Do Say

• 你哪里难受？(Where do you feel uncomfortable?)
• 天气太热了，真难受。(It's so hot — really uncomfortable.)

Don't Say

• 不要混淆'难受'和'难过' (难受 covers both physical and emotional discomfort; 难过 is primarily emotional sadness — use 难受 when the body feels bad)

Origin & History

Compound of 难 (difficult) and 受 (to bear, to endure). Literally 'difficult to endure', covering both physical pain and emotional distress.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal