厄运

• Pinyin: è yùn
• Hanzi breakdown: 厄 = 厂 (cliff/overhang) + 卪 (kneeling person) — a person trapped beneath a cliff; 运 = 辶 (movement) + 云 (clouds) — fortune moving like clouds

Meaning

Misfortune; bad luck; adversity. A stroke of ill fate that brings significant suffering or hardship.

厄运 carries a fatalistic tone, suggesting circumstances beyond one's control. It is often used in literary contexts, life narratives, and reflective writing. 不幸 is a broader everyday synonym, while 厄运 implies a heavier, fate-laden quality often associated with a string of misfortunes.

Examples

1. 她年幼时便遭遇厄运，父亲突然离世，家庭陷入贫困，但她凭借坚韧的意志走出了困境。 She faced misfortune at a young age—her father died suddenly and the family fell into poverty—but she made it through with sheer resilience.
2. 他一生坎坷，接连遭受厄运，却始终保持着对生活的热情与希望。 His life was full of hardships; misfortune struck again and again, yet he always held on to his passion and hope for life.
3. 面对突如其来的厄运，我们能做的唯有坦然接受，并以行动去重建生活。 When misfortune hits out of nowhere, all we can do is accept it calmly and rebuild our lives through action.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, biography, philosophy, reflection

Tone: solemn

Do Say

• 这位作家在回忆录中详述了自己如何在一连串厄运的打击下逐渐重拾信心、重建生活的艰难历程。(In his memoir, this writer describes in detail the arduous process of gradually regaining confidence and rebuilding his life under the blows of a series of misfortunes.)
• 古代先贤常以厄运为砥砺志气的磨石，相信经历磨难者方能成就大业，厄运因此也被赋予了积极的教育意义。(Ancient sages often regarded misfortune as a whetstone for tempering one's will, believing those who endure hardship are capable of great achievement — adversity was thus imbued with a positive educational significance.)

Don't Say

• 今天我的厄运是找不到钥匙 — 厄运 implies serious, life-altering misfortune; using it for minor daily inconveniences sounds melodramatic; use 倒霉 or 今天真不顺

Origin & History

厄 (straitened circumstances/calamity — a person trapped in a narrow place) + 运 (fate/fortune) — a fate marked by calamity and entrapment

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal