悲观 (bēiguān)

悲观 describes a pessimistic outlook -- tending to see the worst in situations or expect negative outcomes.

Meanings

[adjective] pessimistic
[noun] pessimism

Example Sentences

他对未来很悲观。 Tā duì wèilái hěn bēiguān. He is very pessimistic about the future.

不要悲观，要相信自己。 Bùyào bēiguān, yào xiāngxìn zìjǐ. Don't be pessimistic; believe in yourself.

她的悲观态度影响了整个团队。 Tā de bēiguān tàidù yǐngxiǎngle zhěnggè tuánduì. Her pessimistic attitude affected the whole team.

悲观的人很难感到幸福。 Bēiguān de rén hěn nán gǎndào xìngfú. Pessimistic people find it hard to feel happy.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
悲观态度	pessimistic attitude
感到悲观	to feel pessimistic
悲观情绪	pessimistic mood
悲观主义	pessimism (as a philosophy)

Usage Notes

悲观 is the direct antonym of 乐观 (lèguān = optimistic). Both follow the same grammatical pattern: 对...悲观/乐观 (pessimistic/optimistic about...). 悲观 can serve as both an adjective (悲观的人 = pessimistic person) and a predicate (他很悲观 = he is pessimistic).

Memory Hook

BEI (悲 = sad/grief) + GUAN (观 = view/perspective): having a sad view of everything -- that is being pessimistic.