Chinese word

情结

Pronunciation

Pinyinqíng jié

Meaning

  • nouncomplex

Example

他有情结，做事不自信。tā yǒu qíng jié zuò shì bú zì xìn

He has a complex and isn't confident about what he does.

Illustration for 情结 (complex)

More examples

他努力治疗自己的情结，逐渐能坦然面对生活。tā nǔ lì zhì liáo zì jǐ de qíng jié zhú jiàn néng tǎn rán miàn duì shēng huó

He works to overcome his complex and gradually becomes able to face life calmly.

Core concept

A feeling tied tightly to a person, place, or past, so it remains difficult to let go.

Common phrases

  • 摆脱情结bǎi tuō qíng jié

    shake off a complex

  • 根深蒂固的情结gēn shēn dì gù de qíng jié

    deep-rooted fixation

  • 民族情结mín zú qíng jié

    ethnic attachment

Similar words

依恋yī liàn: A strong feeling of affection that makes someone reluctant to leave a person or place.
思念sī niàn: A feeling of missing someone or something from the past while being apart.
牵挂qiān guà: A caring concern for a person or matter that is far away or not present.
心结xīn jié: An unresolved feeling inside that remains troubling and difficult to put to rest.

Definition in Chinese

指对某人、某物或过去经历产生的强烈依恋或留恋，带有难以割舍的感情色彩和心理上的不易放下。zhǐ duì mǒu rén mǒu wù huò guò qù jīng lì chǎn shēng de qiáng liè yī liàn huò liú liàn dài yǒu nán yǐ gē shě de gǎn qíng sè cǎi hé xīn lǐ shàng de bú yì fàng xià

Word origin

情 (qíng, "feeling") + 结 (jié, "to bind") forms the image of an emotion bound to something and left in the mind.

Usage tips

  • For native English speakers, the key usage point is that this word can sound affectionate or troubled, depending on context, rather than automatically describing a harmful state.

Other meanings

  • fixationnoun
  • lingering attachmentnoun
  • attachmentnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word