Chinese word

怨言

Pronunciation

Pinyinyuàn yán

Meaning

  • nouncomplaint

Example

他一回家就开始说怨言。tā yì huí jiā jiù kāi shǐ shuō yuàn yán

As soon as he gets home, he starts voicing complaints.

Illustration for 怨言 (complaint)

More examples

她对结果没有怨言，反而心存感激。tā duì jié guǒ méi yǒu yuàn yán fǎn ér xīn cún gǎn jī

She has no complaints about the result; instead, she feels grateful.

Core concept

Spoken words let built-up resentment and a sense of unfairness spill into the open.

Common phrases

  • 发出怨言fā chū yuàn yán

    utter complaints

  • 心中有怨言xīn zhōng yǒu yuàn yán

    harbor complaints

  • 没什么怨言méi shén me yuàn yán

    have no complaints

Similar words

牢骚láo sāo: Grumbling words that release dissatisfaction held inside.
不满bù mǎn: The feeling that something does not meet one's wishes or needs.
不平bù píng: A complaint based on a sense of unfair treatment or an unfair result.

Definition in Chinese

带有怨恨或不平情绪的话语，常用来发泄对某事或某人的不满。dài yǒu yuàn hèn huò bù píng qíng xù de huà yǔ cháng yòng lái fā xiè duì mǒu shì huò mǒu rén de bù mǎn

Word origin

怨 (yuàn, "resentment") + 言 (yán, "words") forms 怨言 (yuànyán, "complaint"), naming words that carry resentment.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, the word often follows an action verb, so it describes dissatisfaction being voiced rather than merely felt.

Other meanings

  • dissatisfactionnoun
  • grumblingnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word