痛心不如痛经
[tòng xīn bù rú tòng jīng]
A self-deprecatory play on words that humorously equates heartache (痛心) with menstrual pain (痛经), suggesting that perhaps enduring the latter is preferable to enduring emotional hurt. This implies that while menstrual pain is real physical pain, heartache is something even more difficult to cope with because it affects one's spirit and morale in daily life, possibly expressing an exasperated feeling towards heartache over other 'more justifiable pains'.