---
title: "Zhemo Meaning: 折磨 (zhémó) Means “to torment”"
description: "折磨 (zhémó) means “to torment; to torture; torment”. Hear its tones, see what 折 and 磨 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/zhemo"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 折磨 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

折磨 zhémó

## to torment; to torture; torment

## Its characters

1. 折 zhé to break
2. 磨 mó to pester

## In a sentence

牙疼折磨了我一整晚。 A toothache tormented me all night.

[More about 折磨](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E6%8A%98%E7%A3%A8)

## More words with 折 or 磨

- [挫折 cuòzhé](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/cuozhe)
- [打磨 dǎmó](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/damo)
- [打折 dǎzhé](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dazhe)
- [骨折 gǔzhé](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/guzhe)
- [磨损 mósǔn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/mosun)
- [曲折 qūzhé](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/quzhe)
- [折叠 zhédié](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/zhedie)
- [折扣 zhékòu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/zhekou)
- [折腾 zhēteng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/zheteng)

## Keep 折磨 for Review

A free account keeps it, and Review brings it back just before you’d forget it.

## Look up another word

## See any word in its sentence

Get a card like this for every word on any page or YouTube subtitle.

[Add to Chrome](https://mandarinthewild.com/go/chrome?from=%2Fmeaning%2Fzhemo) [Read in the Library](https://mandarinthewild.com/library)

[Hear any Chinese read aloud](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-text-to-speech)

[The best Chinese podcasts for learners](https://mandarinthewild.com/guides/best-chinese-podcasts)