English–Chinese
“be envious” in Chinese
Chinese
Pronunciation
Pinyinyǎn hóng
Example
看到朋友的新车我就会眼红。kàn dào péng yǒu de xīn chē wǒ jiù huì yǎn hóng
I feel envious when I see my friend's new car.
How to say “be envious” in Chinese
“Be envious” in Chinese is 眼红 (yǎn hóng).
Seeing someone else's possessions or success makes the eyes metaphorically red with wanting the same advantage.
Example sentences with 眼红
他暗自眼红，但表面上仍然对朋友很客气。tā àn zì yǎn hóng dàn biǎo miàn shàng réng rán duì péng yǒu hěn kè qì
He secretly felt envious, but was still very polite to his friend on the surface.
Tips for using 眼红
- English red-eyed often suggests tiredness or tearfulness, so that translation can mislead unless the surrounding context shows a reaction to someone else's good fortune.