Feelings and emotions are a part of our everyday lives, whether we know them or not. They’re a natural way to express ourselves and help us understand other people’s feelings. But how do you talk about feelings and emotions in Chinese?
How do you know if someone is sad, angry, or happy? What do you say when you feel those emotions yourself? It’s easy to feel lost when talking about feelings in Chinese. Fortunately, we’re here to help!
We’ll walk you through a simple process to help you express your feelings in Chinese. So let’s get started!
Basic Chinese Vocabulary
The first step to expressing your feelings and emotions in Chinese is learning some basic vocabulary. We’ll start with a few Chinese words to help you express how you feel at any moment.
Let’s take a look!
Positive Feelings In Chinese
Here are some words for Chinese emotions that can be used to express positive emotions:
Negative Feelings In Chinese
Now let’s learn the words to express negative feelings and emotions in Chinese.
How To Express Your Emotions
Mastering the vocabulary is fantastic. But how do you put them to use?
Look at these sentence structures to help you express your emotions more accurately.
I Feel (我感觉) + Any Emotion.
To form an “I feel” sentence, say 我感觉 (wǒ gǎn jué) followed by any of the emotions mentioned.
For example:
- I feel calm. 我感觉平静。 (Wǒ gǎn jué píng jìng)
- I feel sad. 我感觉难过。 (Wǒ gǎn jué nán guò)
- I feel excited. 我感觉兴奋。 (Wǒ gǎn jué xīng fèn)
You can also change the subject of this structure to express how other people feel.
For example:
- The teacher feels calm. 老师感到平静。 (Lǎo shī gǎn dào píng jìng)
- The baby feels hungry. 婴儿感觉饿了。 (Yīng ér gǎn jué è le)
I’m A Little… (有点) + Any Emotion
To show that you feel just ‘a little bit’ of emotion, you can say 有点 (yǒudiǎn) followed by any of the emotions mentioned.
For example:
- I am a little confused. 我有点困惑。(Wǒ yǒudiǎn kùnhuò)
- I am a bit scared. 我有点害怕。(Wǒ yǒudiǎn hàipà.)
- I am a little curious. 我有点好奇。(Wǒ yǒudiǎn hàoqí)
You can also change the subject of this structure to express how other people feel.
For example:
- Mary is a little worried. 玛丽有点担心。(Mǎlì yǒudiǎn dānxīn.)
- John is a bit relieved. 约翰有点放心。(Yuēhàn yǒudiǎn fàngxīn.)
I’m Very (我很) + Any Emotion.
To express how much you feel a specific emotion, you can say 我很 (wǒ hěn) followed by the emotion you want to convey.
For example:
- I’m very hurt. 我很伤心 (Wǒ hěn shāngxīn)
- I’m very satisfied. 我很满意。(Wǒ hěn mǎnyì.)
- I’m very lonely. 我很孤独。(Wǒ hěn gūdú.)
I’m Not… (我不) + Any Emotion.
Conversely, if you want to say that you don’t feel an emotion, you can use 不(bù) followed by any of the emotions mentioned.
Again, this structure is used in the same way as 我很 (wǒ hěn).
- I’m not busy. 我不忙。(Wǒ bù máng.)
- I’m not afraid. 我不害怕。(Wǒ bù hàipà.)
- I’m not jealous. 我不嫉妒。(Wǒ bù jídù.)
I Am Too/So… (我太) + Feeling/Emotion + 了
Sometimes, you might want to emphasize that something you feel is strong. In these cases, you can use 我太 (wǒ tài) followed by a feeling or emotion, then add 了 (le) at the end.
For example:
- I am too tired. 我太累了。(Wǒ tài lèile.)
- I am so excited. 我太激动了。(Wǒ tài jīdòngle.)
- I am so grateful. 我太感激了。(Wǒ tài gǎnjīle.)
You can also change the subject of this structure to express how other people feel.
- His wife’s too angry. 他的妻子太生气了。(Tā de qīzi tài shēngqìle.)
- You are too nervous. 你太紧张了。(Nǐ tài jǐnzhāngle.)
Learning Tip
If you want to perfect expressing your feelings and emotions in Chinese, watch Chinese dramas and movies. They are a great way to learn more about Chinese culture and how people express themselves emotionally.
They are also an excellent way to learn Chinese because they use everyday speech.
Feeling And Emotions In The Chinese Culture
When it comes to feelings and emotions, Chinese people tend to be more reserved than Westerners. This can cause some confusion for visitors who are accustomed to the open, expressive nature of many Western cultures.
Although the Chinese are generally warm and welcoming, they’re not known to be very open with their feelings. Chinese people often use subtle gestures and expressions to indicate their real emotions.
Moreover, overtly emotional displays of affection are not common in Chinese culture. For example, it’s unlikely that you’ll see a man holding hands with his girlfriend or wife on the street.
Likewise, most Chinese people don’t show their feelings by hugging friends or acquaintances when they meet them for the first time.
Sometimes, expressing emotions can be considered rude. So, it is better to observe the situation and gauge its appropriateness before expressing your opinion or showing any strong emotion.
Express Your Feelings And Emotions
Expressing your feelings and emotions in Chinese can be a little intimidating at first, especially with the cultural difference. But don’t let that stop you! With the proper knowledge of the language and a few simple tips, you’ll be able to express yourself like a native speaker in no time.
Just remember, Chinese culture is very different from Western culture. The Chinese are generally more reserved and don’t show much emotion, so it’s important to respect that when you’re in China.
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