Definition
伤神 is a separable verb-object compound (离合词). It has two main senses: (1) 'to be mentally draining, to take a toll on one's energy'—used for tasks or situations that require intense concentration or worry; (2) 'to be sad, to be disheartened'—used for emotional distress. When you split it, common patterns are 伤+了+amount+神 (e.g., 伤了不少神 'took quite a lot of mental energy') or 伤+结果补语+神 (e.g., 伤透了神 'completely wore out mentally'). The object 神 cannot take a measure word on its own.
v.o.
to be mentally taxingto be nerve-rackingto be sadto be disheartened
Examples
- 。Zhè jiàn shì ràng wǒ shāng le bù shǎo shén.This matter took quite a lot of mental energy out of me.
- 伤神,。Bié zài wèi zhèxiē xiǎo shì shāng shén le, bù zhídé.Don't tire yourself out over these small things anymore; it's not worth it.
- ,伤神,。Tīng dào zhège xiāoxi, tā shífēn shāng shén, zhěng yè méi shuì.Hearing this news, he was deeply saddened and didn't sleep all night.
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