Day 14: Feelings & Emotions — Learn Chinese in 30 Days
Learn how to express emotions in Chinese — happy, sad, angry, tired, and more — plus how Chinese people express feelings differently than Westerners.
Today's Vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 高兴 | Happy / Glad | |
| 难过 | Sad | |
| 生气 | Angry | |
| 累 | Tired | |
| 紧张 | Nervous / Stressed | |
| 无聊 | Bored | |
| 害怕 | Scared / Afraid | |
| 开心 | Happy / Joyful | |
| 不舒服 | Uncomfortable / Unwell | |
| 感动 | Moved / Touched (emotionally) |
What You’ll Learn Today
Emotions connect us across all languages. Today you’ll learn to express how you feel in Chinese — and understand the cultural nuances around emotional expression that will make you much more attuned to Chinese social dynamics.
Happy: Two Ways
Chinese has two common ways to say “happy”:
- 高兴 (gāo xìng) — happy, glad, pleased. Often used for a specific reason: “I’m happy to meet you.”
- 开心 (kāi xīn) — joyful, happy-hearted. More general, describes a state of being. “Are you happy?” often uses 开心.
我很开心！— Wǒ hěn kāi xīn! — I’m very happy! 很高兴认识你。— Hěn gāo xìng rèn shí nǐ. — I’m pleased to meet you.
Expressing Degree
Chinese uses degree words to intensify emotions:
- 有点 (yǒu diǎn) — a little / somewhat
- 很 (hěn) — very
- 非常 (fēi cháng) — extremely
- 太…了 (tài…le) — too much / way too
Examples:
- 我有点累。(Wǒ yǒu diǎn lèi.) — I’m a little tired.
- 我非常紧张。(Wǒ fēi cháng jǐn zhāng.) — I’m extremely nervous.
- 太无聊了！(Tài wú liáo le!) — So boring!
Sentence Patterns
Pattern 1: Describing how you feel
我今天心情不好。— Wǒ jīn tiān xīn qíng bù hǎo. — I’m in a bad mood today. (心情 xīn qíng = mood)
Pattern 2: Asking how someone feels
你还好吗？— Nǐ hái hǎo ma? — Are you okay?
Pattern 3: Being moved
这部电影让我很感动。— Zhè bù diàn yǐng ràng wǒ hěn gǎn dòng. — This movie really moved me.
Cultural Note
Emotional restraint is a virtue in traditional Chinese culture. Openly expressing strong emotions — especially negative ones like anger or sadness — in public or professional settings can be seen as a loss of 面子 (miàn zi) — “face.” Maintaining composure is valued.
This doesn’t mean Chinese people don’t feel deeply — it means the expression is often more indirect or reserved in formal contexts. Among close friends and family, emotions are expressed freely.
感动 (gǎn dòng) — being emotionally touched — is a state that Chinese people express often and genuinely. A moving film, a friend’s kindness, a child’s achievement — all can make someone 感动.
Practice Exercise
How do you say:
- I’m a little nervous.
- Are you okay?
- I’m extremely tired today.
- That story was really moving.
Answers: 1) 我有点紧张。2) 你还好吗？3) 我今天非常累。4) 那个故事让我很感动。