1
be distressing to do sth
It was distressing to see the children in such poverty.
看到孩子们如此贫困，令人苦恼。
令人痛苦的；令人忧虑的
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
令人痛苦的；令人忧虑的
causing distress or worry; upsetting
It was distressing to see the children in such poverty.
看到孩子们如此贫困，令人苦恼。
使人痛苦的；令人不安的。
Causing distress; upsetting; distressful.
The news of the accident was very distressing.
事故的消息非常令人痛苦。
It is distressing to see so much suffering.
看到如此多的苦难令人感到悲伤。
She found the constant criticism distressing.
她觉得不断的批评令人沮丧。
It was distressing to see the children in such poverty.
看到孩子们如此贫困，令人苦恼。
Many people find the news about the earthquake distressing.
许多人觉得有关地震的新闻令人苦恼。
It is distressing that so many animals are endangered.
如此多的动物濒临灭绝，令人苦恼。
The loss of a job can be distressing for the whole family.
失业可能让整个家庭感到苦恼。
Not this
She was distressing about the exam.
Use this
She was distressed about the exam.
在汉语中，“苦恼”既可以表示令人苦恼（-ing）也可以表示感到苦恼（-ed），但英语中-ing形式描述原因，-ed形式描述感受。
Not this
It is distressing of waiting so long.
Use this
It is distressing to wait so long.
形容词distressing后应接带to的不定式，而非of+动名词。汉语‘令人苦恼的等待’可能直接对应‘distressing of waiting’，但英语需用动词不定式结构。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
令人悲痛的消息
The distressing news about the accident shocked everyone.
关于事故的令人悲痛的消息震惊了所有人。
令人痛苦的经历
She had a distressing experience during her trip abroad.
她在国外旅行时有一次令人痛苦的经历。
令人焦虑的情况
We must find a way out of this distressing situation.
我们必须找到摆脱这种令人焦虑情况的办法。
令人不安的症状
The patient reported several distressing symptoms to the doctor.
病人向医生报告了几个令人不安的症状。
令人烦恼的想法
The distressing thought kept him awake all night.
那个令人烦恼的想法让他彻夜未眠。
令人沮丧的事件
The distressing event left a deep impact on the community.
那个令人沮丧的事件给社区留下了深刻影响。
Use distressing naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
distressing里含有stress，联想到‘有压力’，即‘令人苦恼的’。
语域：neutral 常见场景：新闻报道、个人经历、健康问题 该词通常用于描述引起忧虑或痛苦的情况，在正式和非正式语境中均可使用，比较中性。
Words with the spelling pattern '-essing' often have stress on the second syllable (e.g., distressing, depressing, impressing, confessing, professing, obsessing). However, words like 'blessing' /ˈblɛsɪŋ/ and 'guessing' /ˈɡɛsɪŋ/ have first-syllable stress and do not rhyme with 'distressing'.
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.