Emotions & Feelings Vocabulary
40+ Chinese words for emotions, feelings, and psychological states, from basic to advanced, with pinyin, English, examples, and HSK levels.
Basic Emotions (基本情绪 jīběn qíngxù)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Example | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 高兴 | gāoxìng | happy / glad | 见到你我很高兴！I'm so glad to see you! | 1 |
| 开心 | kāixīn | happy / joyful | 我很开心！I'm very happy! | 2 |
| 快乐 | kuàilè | happy / joyful (more lasting) | 祝你生日快乐！Happy Birthday! | 2 |
| 难过 | nánguò | sad / upset | 他听到这个消息很难过。He was very sad to hear the news. | 3 |
| 伤心 | shāngxīn | heartbroken / sad | 她哭了，很伤心。She cried, very heartbroken. | 3 |
| 生气 | shēngqì | angry | 别生气了！Don't be angry! | 2 |
| 愤怒 | fènnù | furious / enraged | 他愤怒地拍了桌子。He furiously slammed the table. | 4 |
| 担心 | dānxīn | worried / concerned | 我有点儿担心。I'm a little worried. | 3 |
| 害怕 | hàipà | afraid / scared | 我害怕打针。I'm afraid of injections. | 2 |
| 恐惧 | kǒngjù | fear / terror | 他对黑暗有恐惧感。He has a fear of the dark. | — |
| 惊讶 | jīngyà | surprised / astonished | 这个消息让我很惊讶。This news surprised me very much. | 4 |
| 吃惊 | chījīng | startled / shocked | 他的成绩让所有人吃惊。His results shocked everyone. | — |
Positive Emotions (积极情绪 jījí qíngxù)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Example | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 兴奋 | xīngfèn | excited | 去中国旅游，我很兴奋！I'm so excited to travel to China! | 4 |
| 满意 | mǎnyì | satisfied / content | 我对结果很满意。I'm satisfied with the result. | 3 |
| 感激 | gǎnjī | grateful / thankful | 我非常感激你的帮助。I'm very grateful for your help. | 4 |
| 骄傲 | jiāo'ào | proud (of oneself) | 我为自己感到骄傲。I feel proud of myself. | 4 |
| 自豪 | zìháo | proud (about others/achievements) | 妈妈为女儿感到自豪。Mom feels proud of her daughter. | — |
| 轻松 | qīngsōng | relaxed / at ease | 考完试感觉很轻松。Finishing the exam feels very relaxing. | 3 |
| 舒服 | shūfu | comfortable / feeling good | 今天天气很舒服。Today's weather feels comfortable. | 2 |
| 期待 | qīdài | to look forward to | 我很期待见到你。I look forward to seeing you. | 4 |
| 希望 | xīwàng | hope / to hope | 我希望你一切都好。I hope everything is well with you. | 2 |
| 幸福 | xìngfú | happiness / bliss | 我们生活得很幸福。We live a very happy life. | 3 |
| 爱 | ài | love | 我爱你。I love you. | 2 |
| 喜欢 | xǐhuān | to like / fond of | 我喜欢学中文。I like learning Chinese. | 1 |
Negative Emotions (消极情绪 xiāojí qíngxù)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Example | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 失望 | shīwàng | disappointed | 他的表现让我很失望。His performance disappointed me greatly. | 4 |
| 后悔 | hòuhuǐ | regret | 我后悔没有早点学中文。I regret not learning Chinese earlier. | 4 |
| 羡慕 | xiànmù | to envy / admire | 我很羡慕他的语言能力。I really envy his language skills. | 4 |
| 嫉妒 | jídù | jealous | 她有点嫉妒同事的晋升。She's a bit jealous of her colleague's promotion. | — |
| 惭愧 | cánkuì | ashamed / embarrassed | 我没完成任务，感到很惭愧。I feel ashamed for not completing the task. | — |
| 孤独 | gūdú | lonely / solitary | 一个人在外地很孤独。Living alone away from home is very lonely. | 4 |
| 无聊 | wúliáo | bored | 今天没什么事，很无聊。There's nothing to do today, very bored. | 3 |
| 烦恼 | fánnǎo | troubled / annoyed | 最近有些烦恼，睡不好。Lately I've been troubled and can't sleep well. | — |
| 痛苦 | tòngkǔ | pain / suffering | 失去亲人是很痛苦的事。Losing a loved one is very painful. | 4 |
| 绝望 | juéwàng | desperate / hopeless | 不要绝望，还有希望。Don't despair, there is still hope. | — |
| 委屈 | wěiqu | feel wronged / aggrieved | 他觉得很委屈。He feels wronged. | — |
Mixed & Complex Emotions (复杂情绪 fùzá qíngxù)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Example | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 紧张 | jǐnzhāng | nervous / tense | 考试前我很紧张。I'm very nervous before exams. | 3 |
| 尴尬 | gāngà | awkward / embarrassed | 那个场面太尴尬了。That situation was so awkward. | — |
| 复杂 | fùzá | complicated / complex (feelings) | 我的心情很复杂。My feelings are very complicated. | 3 |
| 矛盾 | máodùn | conflicted / contradictory | 我现在感觉很矛盾。I feel conflicted right now. | 4 |
| 感动 | gǎndòng | moved / touched | 这部电影让我很感动。This movie really moved me. | 4 |
| 崇拜 | chóngbài | to admire / worship | 我崇拜他的勇气。I admire his courage. | — |
| 讨厌 | tǎoyàn | to dislike / hate | 我讨厌堵车。I hate traffic jams. | 3 |
| 痛恨 | tònghèn | to loathe / deeply hate | 他痛恨不公平。He deeply hates injustice. | — |
| 思念 | sīniàn | to miss (someone dearly) | 我很思念家人。I deeply miss my family. | — |
| 想念 | xiǎngniàn | to miss (someone/something) | 我想念北京的烤鸭。I miss Beijing roast duck. | — |
Expressing Emotional States (表达情绪 biǎodá qíngxù)
Degree Modifiers
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 很 | hěn | very | 我很高兴。Very happy. |
| 非常 | fēicháng | extremely | 我非常感动。Extremely moved. |
| 有点儿 | yǒudiǎnr | a little / somewhat | 我有点儿担心。A little worried. |
| 有些 | yǒuxiē | somewhat / rather | 我有些失望。Somewhat disappointed. |
| 特别 | tèbié | especially / particularly | 我特别开心！Particularly happy! |
| 太...了 | tài...le | too / way too | 太好了！Too great! |
Common Patterns
| Pattern | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我很 + emotion | 我很高兴。 | I'm very happy. |
| 我感到 + emotion | 我感到很孤独。 | I feel very lonely. |
| 让我感到 + emotion | 这让我感到感动。 | This makes me feel touched. |
| 我有点儿 + emotion | 我有点儿担心。 | I'm a little worried. |
| 为...感到 + emotion | 我为你感到高兴。 | I'm happy for you. |
Useful Expressions (常用表达 cháng yòng biǎodá)
| Expression | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我很开心！ | Wǒ hěn kāixīn! | I'm very happy! |
| 我有点儿担心。 | Wǒ yǒudiǎnr dānxīn. | I'm a little worried. |
| 你怎么了？ | Nǐ zěnme le? | What's wrong with you? / Are you okay? |
| 你还好吗？ | Nǐ hái hǎo ma? | Are you okay? |
| 别担心。 | Bié dānxīn. | Don't worry. |
| 加油！ | Jiāyóu! | Cheer up! / Keep going! (lit. add oil) |
| 没事的。 | Méishì de. | It's okay. / It's nothing. |
| 我理解你的感受。 | Wǒ lǐjiě nǐ de gǎnshòu. | I understand how you feel. |
| 我支持你。 | Wǒ zhīchí nǐ. | I support you. |
| 放心吧。 | Fàngxīn ba. | Don't worry. / Rest assured. |
| 真的吗？太好了！ | Zhēn de ma? Tài hǎo le! | Really? That's great! |
| 太遗憾了。 | Tài yíhàn le. | That's such a pity / shame. |