羡慕 (xiànmù) — to envy; to admire

羡慕 (xiànmù)

羡慕 describes the feeling of admiring someone else's qualities, situation, or possessions and wishing you had the same. It combines admiration with a gentle longing, and unlike the English word "envy," it does not necessarily carry a negative or resentful connotation in Chinese.

Meanings

1. [verb] to envy; to admire with longing; to look up to and wish you had the same

Example Sentences

她羡慕同事能流利地说三门外语，决心也开始认真学习语言。 Tā xiànmù tóngshì néng liúlì de shuō sān mén wàiyǔ, juéxīn yě kāishǐ rènzhēn xuéxí yǔyán. She admired her colleague for being able to speak three foreign languages fluently and resolved to start studying languages seriously herself.

他一直很羡慕那些能在自己热爱的领域工作的人。 Tā yīzhí hěn xiànmù nàxiē néng zài zìjǐ rèài de lǐngyù gōngzuò de rén. He has always admired people who are able to work in the fields they are passionate about.

看到朋友发的旅游照片，她心中充满了羡慕，希望自己也能去那里。 Kàndào péngyǒu fā de lǚyóu zhàopiàn, tā xīnzhōng chōngmǎnle xiànmù, xīwàng zìjǐ yě néng qù nàlǐ. Seeing her friend's travel photos, her heart was filled with admiration and longing, and she wished she could go there too.

没有什么比找到一份真正热爱的工作更令人羡慕的了。 Méiyǒu shénme bǐ zhǎodào yī fèn zhēnzhèng rèài de gōngzuò gèng lìng rén xiànmù de le. There is nothing more enviable than finding a job you truly love.

他的羡慕之情溢于言表，不停地称赞朋友新买的房子。 Tā de xiànmù zhī qíng yì yú yán biǎo, bùtíng de chēngzàn péngyǒu xīn mǎi de fángzi. His feeling of admiration and longing was apparent from everything he said, as he kept praising his friend's newly bought house.

父母总是羡慕邻居家孩子的成绩，却忽略了自己孩子的其他优点。 Fùmǔ zǒngshì xiànmù línjū jiā háizi de chéngjì, què hūlüèle zìjǐ háizi de qítā yōudiǎn. Parents always envy the grades of the neighbour's children, yet overlook the other strengths of their own children.

Collocations

Usage Notes

羡慕 is gentler and more positive than 嫉妒 (jídù -- jealousy, which implies resentment and ill-will). 羡慕 simply means you wish you had what someone else has; it does not imply you want to take it away or harm the other person. In everyday speech, 羡慕嫉妒恨 is a humorous internet phrase listing escalating emotions from admiration to hatred.

羡慕 takes a person or a situation as its object: 羡慕他 (admire him/envy him) or 羡慕他的生活 (envy his lifestyle).

Memory Hook

羡 (yearn/covet -- note the water radical suggesting a flowing desire) + 慕 (admire/long for) -- your desire flows outward in admiration and longing for what someone else has.