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):

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• 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):

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• 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)
• 哀苦 (āikǔ)
• 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)
• 悽愴 / 凄怆 (qīchuàng) (literary)
• 悲愴 / 悲怆 (bēichuàng) (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):

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• 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):

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• 不苟 (bùgǒu) (formal)
• 仔細 / 仔细 (zǐxì)
• 嚴 / 严 (yán)
• 嚴肅 / 严肃 (yánsù)
• 嚴謹 / 严谨 (yánjǐn)
• 墘角 (gièng-gáe̤k) (Eastern Min)
• 密切 (mìqiè)
• 審慎 / 审慎 (shěnshèn) (formal)
• 對重 / 对重 (Xiamen Hokkien, Zhangzhou Hokkien)
• 小心 (xiǎoxīn)
• 慎密 (shènmì)
• 慎重 (shènzhòng)
• 持重 (chízhòng)
• 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)
• 致重 (Hokkien)
• 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)
• 頂真 / 顶真 (dǐngzhēn) (dialectal)

 

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “bleak”):

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• 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)
• 繽紛 / 缤纷 (bīnfēn) (literary)
• 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)