Chinese word

忧郁

Pronunciation

Pinyinyōu yù

Meaning

  • adjectivedepressed

Example

她看起来很忧郁。tā kàn qǐ lái hěn yōu yù

She looks very depressed.

Illustration for 忧郁 (depressed)

More examples

听到这个消息，他的表情变得忧郁起来。tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xī tā de biǎo qíng biàn de yōu yù qǐ lái

After hearing the news, he looked depressed.

Core concept

It is a heavy, gray mood that turns attention inward and drains interest from the world.

Common phrases

  • 面露忧郁miàn lù yōu yù

    look depressed

  • 带着忧郁的表情dài zhe yōu yù de biǎo qíng

    wear a depressed expression

Similar words

难过nán guò: Being sad and distressed about something unpleasant.
伤心shāng xīn: Being deeply sad because of emotional hurt or a painful loss.
郁闷yù mèn: Being in a low, closed-in mood that feels dull and hard to shake.
沮丧jǔ sàng: Being disappointed and losing motivation after things go badly.

Definition in Chinese

指一种带有深沉哀伤与沉闷感的心境，往往伴随思索和对事物兴趣的减退，可用于描写个人情绪或整体氛围。zhǐ yì zhǒng dài yǒu shēn chén āi shāng yǔ chén mèn gǎn de xīn jìng wáng wǎng bàn suí sī suǒ hé duì shì wù xìng qù de jiǎn tuì kě yòng yú miáo xiě gè rén qíng xù huò zhéng tǐ fēn wéi

Word origin

忧 (yōu, "worry") + 郁 (yù, "stifled") links troubled thoughts with a feeling of being emotionally closed in.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, this word usually has a literary, sustained tone, while short-lived everyday moods are often described with more ordinary expressions.

Other meanings

  • feel depressedverb
  • be downverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 忧郁症患者yōu yù zhèng huàn zhěperson with depressionnoun

Word lists with this word