Chinese word

悲观

Pronunciation

Pinyinbēi guān

Meaning

  • adjectivepessimistic

Example

别对失败过于悲观，还可以再试一次。bié duì shī bài guò yú bēi guān hái ké yǐ zài shì yí cì

Don't be too pessimistic about failure; you can try again.

Illustration for 悲观 (pessimistic)

More examples

他对未来很悲观，不愿意做新的尝试。tā duì wèi lái hěn bēi guān bú yuàn yì zuò xīn de cháng shì

He is very pessimistic about the future and unwilling to try anything new.

Core concept

A mental lens that makes bad outcomes seem more likely than good ones.

Common phrases

  • 对未来悲观duì wèi lái bēi guān

    pessimistic about the future

  • 持悲观态度chí bēi guān tài dù

    take a pessimistic attitude

  • 变得悲观biàn de bēi guān

    become pessimistic

Similar words

消极xiāo jí: Showing little desire to act, join in, or take part.
沮丧jǔ sàng: Becoming downhearted and less energetic after things go wrong.
灰心huī xīn: Becoming unwilling to continue an effort after failure.
绝望jué wàng: Believing that no hope remains for improvement or help.

Definition in Chinese

倾向于预期不好的结果，对前景或情形抱有负面看法。qīng xiàng yú yù qī bù hǎo de jié guǒ duì qián jǐng huò qíng xíng bào yǒu fù miàn kàn fǎ

Word origin

悲观 (bēiguān, "pessimistic") combines 悲 (bēi, "sad") with 观 (guān, "view"), presenting a view of events colored by sadness and focused on unfavorable outcomes.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often confuse pessimism with sadness, but this word describes an outlook about what will happen and can apply even when a person feels calm.

Other meanings

  • pessimismnoun
  • take a pessimistic viewverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 悲观主义bēi guān zhǔ yìpessimismnoun
  • 悲观者bēi guān zhěpessimistnoun

Word lists with this word