Meaning and Usage
The word 伤亡 (shāngwáng) refers collectively to injuries and deaths, especially in contexts like accidents, disasters, or wars. It is a formal term often used in news reports and official statements to describe the human toll of an event.
Common Contexts
You will frequently see 伤亡 used when discussing natural disasters, military conflicts, or major accidents. It emphasizes the severity of the event by highlighting both the injured and the deceased.
Collocations and Patterns
- 造成伤亡 (cause casualties): used to describe an event that results in injuries and deaths.
- 伤亡人数 (number of casualties): refers to the count of injured and dead people.
- 严重伤亡 (serious casualties): emphasizes the high number or severity of casualties.
Usage Notes
伤亡 is a noun and typically appears as the object of verbs like 造成 (cause), 统计 (count), or 描述 (describe). It is not used to describe individual injuries or deaths but rather the overall impact on people.
Avoid confusing 伤亡 with just 伤 (injury) or 亡 (death) alone; 伤亡 always implies both injured and dead combined.