伤

• Pinyin: shāng
• Hanzi breakdown: 伤 = 亻(person) + simplified wound component — from traditional 傷, depicting a person who has suffered a wound

Meaning

To injure; to wound; injury. Refers to physical harm or emotional hurt.

A versatile word used both as a verb (to hurt/injure) and as a noun (wound/injury). Works for both physical injuries (受伤 = get injured) and emotional pain (伤感情 = hurt feelings). Very common in daily conversation, medical contexts, and figurative expressions. Often appears in compound words like 伤口 (wound), 伤害 (harm), and 受伤 (get hurt).

Examples

1. 他打篮球的时候不小心伤了脚。 He accidentally hurt his foot while playing basketball.
2. 这次事故中有三个人受伤了。 Three people were injured in this accident.
3. 你说的话太重了，伤了她的心。 What you said was too harsh — you hurt her feelings.

Usage Guide

Context: health, sports, accidents, emotions

Tone: concerned

Do Say

• 你伤到哪里了？让我看看。(Where did you get hurt? Let me see.)
• 这个伤不严重，过几天就好了。(This injury isn't serious — it'll heal in a few days.)

Don't Say

• 我的头很伤。(Don't use 伤 alone as an adjective for pain — say 我的头受伤了 or 我头疼 for a headache.)

Origin & History

伤 combines 亻(person) with a phonetic component, originally depicting a person who has been wounded. The traditional form 傷 more clearly shows the sense of bodily damage.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal