Chinese word

占有欲

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhàn yǒu yù

Meaning

  • nounpossessiveness

Example

她会因为占有欲而吃醋。tā huì yīn wèi zhàn yǒu yù ér chī cù

She may get jealous because of her possessiveness.

Illustration for 占有欲 (possessiveness)

More examples

他看到有人碰自己的东西就会感到占有欲。tā kàn dào yǒu rén pèng zì jǐ de dōng xī jiù huì gǎn dào zhàn yǒu yù

When he sees someone touch his things, he feels possessive.

Core concept

The inner pull to claim something for oneself and resist another person's access to it.

Common phrases

  • 占有欲很强zhàn yǒu yù hěn qiáng

    strong possessiveness

  • 缺乏占有欲quē fá zhàn yǒu yù

    lack of possessiveness

  • 掩饰占有欲yǎn shì zhàn yǒu yù

    conceal possessiveness

Similar words

独占欲dú zhàn yù: A strong wish to take exclusive possession of a person or thing.
嫉妒心jí dù xīn: An envious feeling that arises from seeing others enjoy happiness or possessions.
控制欲kòng zhì yù: An urge to control people or matters and make them match one's wishes.
所有欲suó yǒu yù: A wish to possess things personally and be unwilling to let them go.

Definition in Chinese

指希望把某人或某物完全占为己有、不愿与他人分享的欲望。zhǐ xī wàng bǎ mǒu rén huò mǒu wù wán quán zhàn wèi jí yǒu bú yuàn yǔ tā rén fēn xiǎng de yù wàng

Word origin

占有 (zhànyǒu, "possession") + 欲 (yù, "desire") forms a noun for the desire to keep a person or thing exclusively as one's own.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may connect ownership with legal rights, but this noun usually points to an emotional wish for exclusive control, especially in close relationships.

Other meanings

  • desire for ownershipnoun

Opposites

  • 分享欲fēn xiǎng yùdesire to sharenoun

Related words

Word lists with this word