Chinese word

习惯

Pronunciation

Pinyinxí guàn

Meaning

  • nounhabit

Example

我有个习惯，每天睡前读书。wǒ yǒu gè xí guàn měi tiān shuì qián dú shū

I have a habit of reading every day before bed.

Illustration for 习惯 (habit)

More examples

他有很多坏习惯，比如晚睡。tā yǒu hěn duō huài xí guàn bǐ rú wǎn shuì

He has many bad habits, like staying up late.

Core concept

A repeated action or thought becomes an easy, almost automatic response in a familiar situation, from an everyday routine to a personal quirk.

Common phrases

  • 好习惯hǎo xí guàn

    good habit

  • 坏习惯huài xí guàn

    bad habit

Definition in Chinese

因经常做某事而形成、在类似情境下容易重复出现的行为或心理倾向。yīn jīng cháng zuò mǒu shì ér xíng chéng zài lèi sì qíng jìng xià róng yì chóng fù chū xiàn de xíng wéi huò xīn lǐ qīng xiàng

Word origin

习 (xí, "practice") + 惯 (guàn, "be accustomed to") joins the ideas of repeated practice and familiarity to form a settled pattern of behavior or thought.

Usage tips

  • Chinese commonly uses 养成 (yǎngchéng, "form") with 习惯 (xíguàn, "habit") for developing one and 改掉 (gǎidiào, "break") for stopping one.

Other meanings

  • get used toverb
  • quirknoun
  • natural behaviornoun

Word lists with this word