Chinese word

惊喜

Pronunciation

Pinyinjīng xǐ

Meaning

  • nounpleasant surprise

Example

她给了我一个惊喜。tā gěi le wǒ yí gè jīng xǐ

She gave me a pleasant surprise.

Illustration for 惊喜 (pleasant surprise)

More examples

孩子打开盒子，发现了一个惊喜。hái zi dǎ kāi hé zi fā xiàn le yí gè jīng xǐ

The child opened the box and found a pleasant surprise.

Core concept

A sudden turn that brings surprise together with happiness.

Common phrases

  • 收到惊喜shōu dào jīng xǐ

    receive a surprise

  • 惊喜的表情jīng xǐ de biǎo qíng

    surprised expression

  • 惊喜礼物jīng xǐ lǐ wù

    surprise gift

Similar words

意外yì wài: Something that happens or turns out differently from what was expected.
惊讶jīng yà: A feeling of astonishment caused by something unexpected or puzzling.

Definition in Chinese

因突发的好消息或意外之事而生的既惊讶又快乐的感情，也常用来描述礼物或安排带来的这类反应。yīn tū fā de hǎo xiāo xī huò yì wài zhī shì ér shēng de jì jīng yà yòu kuài lè de gǎn qíng yě cháng yòng lái miáo shù lǐ wù huò ān pái dài lái de zhè lèi fǎn yìng

Word origin

The compound 惊 (jīng, "startled") + 喜 (xǐ, "joy") links an unexpected reaction with the positive feeling it creates.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often use "surprise" for good, bad, or neutral events, while this Chinese word signals that the unexpected event is welcome.

Other meanings

  • surprisenoun
  • astonishmentnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word