Chinese word

害羞

Pronunciation

Pinyinhài xiū

Meaning

  • adjectiveshy

Example

她见到陌生人会害羞。tā jiàn dào mò shēng rén huì hài xiū

She gets shy when she meets strangers.

Illustration for 害羞 (shy)

More examples

看到喜欢的人时，小王会很害羞。kàn dào xǐ huān de rén shí xiǎo wáng huì hěn hài xiū

Xiao Wang gets very shy when he sees someone he likes.

Core concept

A person feels exposed under attention and responds by becoming quiet, lowering the head, or holding back.

Common phrases

  • 对陌生人害羞duì mò shēng rén hài xiū

    shy with strangers

  • 在别人面前害羞zài bié rén miàn qián hài xiū

    shy around other people

  • 害羞的孩子hài xiū de hái zi

    shy child

Similar words

不好意思bù hǎo yì si: Feeling shy because of courtesy or concern for another person, so words and actions become modest.
腼腆mián tiǎn: Showing a naturally bashful and reserved manner in front of other people.
羞怯xiū qiè: Lacking the courage to act because shyness makes bold action feel embarrassing.
尴尬gān gà: Feeling uncomfortable and unsettled when an exchange becomes socially awkward.

Definition in Chinese

在陌生人或受注目场合感到羞涩，出现脸红、低头或回避交流等短暂不自在的情绪或状态。zài mò shēng rén huò shòu zhù mù chǎng hé gǎn dào xiū sè chū xiàn liǎn hóng dī tóu huò huí bì jiāo liú děng duǎn zàn bú zì zài de qíng xù huò zhuàng tài

Word origin

The compound 害羞 (hàixiū, "shy") combines 害 (hài, "be troubled by") with 羞 (xiū, "shame"), framing the feeling as being troubled by self-consciousness.

Usage tips

  • The word can also describe the manner of an action in the pattern 害羞地 (hàixiū de, "shyly"), so it is useful beyond sentences that simply describe a person's state.

Other meanings

  • feel embarrassedverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 害羞鬼hài xiū guǐshy personnoun
  • 害羞感hài xiū gǎnshynessnoun

Word lists with this word