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惨不忍睹

cǎn bù rěn dǔdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. so horrible that one cannot bear to look (idiom) / fig. miserable / horrendous / atrocious
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-43c2f91ce7883703. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

慘不忍睹 惨不忍睹 [can3 bu4 ren3 du3] /lit. so horrible that one cannot bear to look (idiom)/fig. miserable; horrendous; atrocious/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 慘不忍睹

  • 惨
    cǎn

    miserable / wretched / cruel / inhuman / disastrous / tragic / dim / gloomy

  • 不
    bù

    no / not so / (bound form) not / un-

  • 忍
    rěn

    to bear / to endure / to tolerate / to restrain oneself

  • 睹
    dǔ

    to observe / to see

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.