受灾

• Pinyin: shòu zāi
• Hanzi breakdown: 受 = 爫 (claw) + 冖 (cover) + 又 (hand), depicting receiving; 灾 = 宀 (roof) + 火 (fire), disaster under a roof

Meaning

To suffer from a disaster; to be affected by a calamity.

A verb-object compound describing being impacted by natural or man-made disasters. Commonly used in news reports and official communications about floods, earthquakes, typhoons, and other emergencies. Often collocates with words like 地区 (area), 群众 (masses), or 人数 (number of people).

Examples

1. 今年洪水受灾地区的群众已经得到妥善安置。 The people in this year's flood-affected areas have been properly resettled.
2. 受灾群众急需食物、饮用水和医疗物资。 Disaster victims urgently need food, drinking water, and medical supplies.
3. 据统计，这次地震受灾人数超过十万。 According to statistics, the number of people affected by this earthquake exceeds 100,000.

Usage Guide

Context: news, disaster relief, government

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 受灾群众需要帮助。(The disaster-affected people need help.)
• 受灾面积很大。(The affected area is very large.)

Don't Say

• 我今天受灾了 — for personal bad luck or minor misfortune, use 倒霉 or 遭殃; 受灾 is for actual disasters

Origin & History

Compound of 受 (to receive/suffer) + 灾 (disaster), meaning to receive or suffer from disaster.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal