Emotions are feelings we cannot control. Every day we feel something. We feel something positive; we feel something negative. These are feelings we encounter every day and sometimes talking about feelings is healthy.
If you're looking for words that describe emotions in Chinese so you can learn words and phrases to express your emotions, then you are in the right article! In this article you will learn 30 positive and 30 negative words that describe emotions in Chinese as well as phrases as examples when using these words.
Vocabulary
Here are a few positive and negative words that describe emotions in Chinese with its corresponding pinyin and translation.
Positive Emotions
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 崇拜 | chóngbài | adoration |
| 放心 | fàng xīn | relieved/reassured |
| 高兴 | gāo xìng | happy |
| 好命 | hǎo mìng | lucky |
| 好奇 | hàoqí | curious |
| 怀旧 | huáijiù | nostalgic |
| 惊喜 | jīng xǐ | pleasantly surprised |
| 有决心 | juéxīn | determined |
| 渴望 | kěwàng | craving |
| 快乐 | kuàilè | joyful |
| 浪漫 | làngmàn | romantic |
| 老实 | lǎoshí | honest |
| 乐观 | lè guān | optimistic |
| 恋爱 | liàn’ài | in love |
| 满意 | mǎnyì | satisfied |
| 佩服 | pèifú | to admire |
| 平静 | píngjìng | calm |
| 钦佩 | qīnpèi | admiration |
| 同情 | tóngqíng | sympathy |
| 想要 | xiǎngyào | to want to |
| 喜欢 | xǐhuān | like |
| 欣赏 | xīn shǎng | appreciation |
| 兴奋/激动 | xìngfèn/jīdòng | excited |
| 性欲 | xìngyù | sexual desire |
| 信任 | xìnrèn | trust |
| 有趣 | yǒuqù | funny |
| 有兴趣 | yǒuxìngqù | interested |
| 有希望 | yǒuxīwàng | hopeful |
| 娱乐 | yúlè | amusement |
| 自信 | zì xìn | confident |
Negative Emotions
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 抱歉 | bàoqiàn | to feel apologetic |
| 悲惨 | bēicǎn | miserable |
| 吃惊 | chījīng | shocked |
| 担心 | dānxīn | worried |
| 饿了 | è le | hungry |
| 尴尬 | gāngà | embarrassed |
| 孤独 | gūdú | lonely |
| 害怕 | hàipà | afraid |
| 害羞 | hàixiū | shy |
| 恨 | hèn | to hate |
| 焦虑 | jiāolǜ | anxious |
| 嫉妒 | jídù | jealous |
| 紧张 | jǐnzhāng | nervous |
| 沮丧 | jǔsàng | disheartened |
| 沮丧的 | jǔsàngde | frustrated |
| 苦闷 | kǔ mèn | depressed |
| 愧疚 | kuì jiù | guilty |
| 困惑 | kùnhuò | confused |
| 忙 | máng | busy |
| 难过 | nánguò | sad |
| 闹心 | nào xīn | upset |
| 伤心 | shāngxīn | hurt |
| 生气 | shēng qì | angry |
| 失望 | shīwàng | disappointed |
| 讨厌 | tǎoyàn | to dislike |
| 无聊 | wúliáo | bored |
| 想念 | xiǎngniàn | to miss |
| 羞愧 | xiūkuì | ashamed |
| 厌恶 | yàn wù | disgusted |
| 遗憾 | yíhàn | to regret |
Grammar
Now that you have learned some words to describe emotions in Chinese, it’s time to learn how to construct sentences using these words.
One of the most common ways of expressing emotion is the use of “很” (hěn). 很 (hěn) here is used in a positive tone. To change the tone to negative 很 (hěn) will be replaced by “不” (bù).
SBJ + hěn 很 / bù 不 + (feeling/emotion) + OBJ*
*placing an object at the end will depend on the sentence you’re trying to construct
Examples:
lǎoshī hěn
gāoxìng
老师 很
高兴
The teacher is happy.
tóngxué men bù xǐhuan lǎoshī
同学 们 不 喜欢 老师
My classesmate do not like the teacher.
wáng yīshēng hěn máng
王 医生 很 忙
Doctor Wang is busy.
Ālǐ bù dānxīn
阿里 不 担心
Ali is not worried.
If you want to express less emotion, you can use 有点 (yǒudiǎn) to indicate that the subject feels “a little bit” of emotion.
SBJ + yǒudiǎn 有点 + (feeling/emotion) + OBJ*
*placing an object at the end will depend on the sentence you’re trying to construct
Examples:
wǒ yǒudiǎn xǐhuan shàngkè
我 有点 喜欢 上课
I like the class a little.
Dàwèi yǒudiǎn hàipà
大卫 有点 害怕
David was a little scared.
Mǎlì yǒudiǎn kùnhuò
玛丽 有点 困惑
Marie is a little confused.
dìdi yǒudiǎn nánguò
弟弟 有点 难过
Little brother is a little sad.
If you want to express a higher level of emotion, you can use 太 (tài) …了(le) to indicate that the subject feels more than the normal level of emotion.
SBJ + tài 太 + (feeling/emotion) + le* 了
Examples:
bàba tài è le
爸爸 太 饿 了
Dad's too hungry.
tā de nǚpéngyou tài shēngqì le
他 的 女朋友 太 生气 了
His girlfriend's too angry.
nǐ tài jǐnzhāng le
你 太 紧张 了
You're too nervous.
tā tài jīdòng le
她 太 激动 了
She's too excited.
xuésheng tài gāoxìng le
学生 太 高兴 了
The student's too happy.
In some cases, the subject and the feeling/emotion word does not need an adjective in between to complete the thought.
Examples:
wǒ jídù dà jiějie
我 嫉妒 大 姐姐
I'm jealous of older sister.
wǒ xìnrèn nǐ
我 信任 你
I trust you.
tā liàn'ài le
她 恋爱 了
She's in love.
nǐ dānxīn tā
你 担心 他
You worry about him.
māma xiǎngniàn tā
妈妈 想念 她
Mom misses her.
Practice
Now that you’ve learned some words to express emotions in Chinese, it’s time for you to practice!
Try to translate the given English sentences using the correct grammar and right words.
1. Little brother’s friend is sad.
2. The boyfriend is too romantic.
3. Mom’s a little worried.
4. The doctor is very tired.
5. Little brother misses his older sister.
Learning Tip
One way of keeping learning Chinese interesting by watching Chinese dramas, movies, or reality TV programs. This way you will hear right pronunciation of words, learn new words, and still be entertained. An advantage you will get from watching TV reality programs is that you will learn colloquial words or expressions that are not usually in text books.
Keep learning Chinese and enjoy!
Correct Answers
1) dìdi de péngyou hěn nánguò
弟弟 的 朋友 很 难过
2) nánpéngyou tài làngmàn le
男朋友 太 浪漫 了
3) māma yǒudiǎn dānxīn
妈妈 有点 担心
4) yīshēng hěn lèi
医生 很 累
5) dìdi xiǎngniàn tā de jiějie
弟弟 想念 他 的 姐姐
