The word 悲痛 is formed by combining two characters, each carrying a core meaning related to intense negative emotion. The first character, 悲, fundamentally means "sorrow" or "grief", conveying a deep, internal feeling of sadness. The second character, 痛, primarily means "pain" or "anguish", emphasizing a sharp, acute sense of hurt. When placed together, they do not simply add but rather merge and intensify, creating a composite concept that captures the full, overwhelming experience of being grief-stricken, where profound sorrow and acute emotional pain are felt as one.