Definition
阵痛 literally refers to labor pains during childbirth, but in Chinese it's widely used metaphorically to describe the temporary pains or difficulties that accompany a transition, reform, or development process — you'll often see it in news and analysis (e.g., 经济阵痛 'economic pains', 改革的阵痛 'pains of reform').
n.
labor pains (in childbirth)growing painstemporary difficulties during a transition or reform
Examples
- 阵痛，。Chǎnfù jīnglì le jǐ gè xiǎoshí de zhèn tòng, zhōngyú shēng xià le bǎobao.The mother endured several hours of labor pains and finally delivered the baby.
- 阵痛，。Jīngjì zhuǎnxíng qī bìrán huì chūxiàn zhèn tòng, dàn chángqī lái kàn shì yǒuyì de.Growing pains inevitably appear during economic transition, but they are beneficial in the long run.
- 阵痛，。Gǎigé dài lái de zhèn tòng shì zànshí de, bù néng yīn yē fèi shí.The pains brought by reform are temporary; we cannot stop eating for fear of choking.
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