Feelings & Emotions (Happy, Sad) in Chinese 情绪
qíngxù
Emotions, mood in Chinese is 情绪 (qíng xù).
Also searched for as: emotions, happy, sad, angry.
How are you feeling inside? 15 essential feelings words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for feeling in Chinese is 感觉 (gǎn jué), and the simplest way to ask how someone is doing is 你感觉怎么样？ (nǐ gǎn jué zěn me yàng). These words let you go beyond 'fine' and describe real emotions, from 开心 (kāi xīn), happy, to 难过 (nán guò), sad, and 紧张 (jǐn zhāng), nervous. Chinese often has two words where English has one, so learning the difference between pairs like 高兴 (gāo xìng) and 开心 will make you sound more natural.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 感觉 | gǎn jué | feeling; to feel |
| 高兴 | gāo xìng | happy |
| 开心 | kāi xīn | happy; cheerful |
| 难过 | nán guò | sad |
| 伤心 | shāng xīn | heartbroken |
| 生气 | shēng qì | angry |
| 害怕 | hài pà | scared |
| 紧张 | jǐn zhāng | nervous |
| 担心 | dān xīn | worried |
| 放松 | fàng sōng | relaxed |
| 无聊 | wú liáo | bored |
| 累 | lèi | tired |
| 激动 | jī dòng | excited |
| 失望 | shī wàng | disappointed |
| 感动 | gǎn dòng | moved; touched |
Usage tips
- 高兴 (gāo xìng) is slightly more formal and appears in set phrases like 见到你很高兴; 开心 (kāi xīn) is more casual and is the word for having fun: 玩得很开心 (wán de hěn kāi xīn).
- 激动 (jī dòng) is intense excitement or emotion, which can even mean being worked up, while 感动 (gǎn dòng) is being moved or touched by kindness or a story.
- Feeling words usually need 很 or another adverb in a simple statement: 我很累 (wǒ hěn lèi). Without it, 我累 sounds unfinished or as if you're contrasting yourself with someone else.
Common mistakes
- 我很无聊 (wǒ hěn wú liáo) means 'I'm bored', but 你很无聊 means 'you're boring' or 'you're being silly', so be careful when pointing the word at someone else.
- Learners give 生气 (shēng qì) a direct object, as in 我生气你; Chinese says 我生你的气 (wǒ shēng nǐ de qì) or 我对你很生气 (wǒ duì nǐ hěn shēng qì).
Mini dialogue
- A明天就要考试了，你紧张吗？Míng tiān jiù yào kǎo shì le, nǐ jǐn zhāng ma?The exam's tomorrow. Are you nervous?
- B有点儿紧张，我担心考不好。Yǒu diǎnr jǐn zhāng, wǒ dān xīn kǎo bu hǎo.A bit. I'm worried I won't do well.
- A别担心，你准备得很好。Bié dān xīn, nǐ zhǔn bèi de hěn hǎo.Don't worry, you've prepared really well.
- B谢谢你，听你这么说，我开心多了。Xiè xie nǐ, tīng nǐ zhè me shuō, wǒ kāi xīn duō le.Thanks, hearing you say that makes me feel much better.
Example sentences
- 你现在感觉怎么样？How are you feeling now?
- 见到你很高兴！Nice to meet you!
- 今天玩得真开心！We had such a great time today!
- 听到这个消息，我很难过。I was very sad to hear the news.
- 她哭得很伤心。She cried her heart out.
- 你别生气了，好吗？Please don't be angry, OK?
- 我害怕一个人走夜路。I'm scared of walking alone at night.
- 考试前我很紧张。I'm very nervous before exams.
- 别担心，我没事。Don't worry, I'm fine.
- 周末在家放松一下。I'm relaxing at home this weekend.
- 下雨天在家好无聊。It's so boring staying in on a rainy day.
- 今天走了很多路，我很累。I walked a lot today and I'm really tired.
- 拿到第一名，他激动得哭了。He was so excited at coming first that he cried.
- 没买到票，我很失望。I was disappointed not to get a ticket.
- 这个电影让我很感动。This film really moved me.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Feelings speaking island has 8 everyday questions about feelings to prepare your own answers to.