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惨不忍闻

cǎn bù rěn wéndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
(idiom) dreadful to hear
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-f95c4ad09735475f. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

慘不忍聞 惨不忍闻 [can3 bu4 ren3 wen2] /(idiom) dreadful to hear/

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: 慘不忍聞

  • 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

  • 闻
    wén

    to hear / news / well-known / famous / reputation / fame / to smell / to sniff at

    Wén

    surname Wen

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.