Chinese word

惋惜

Pronunciation

Pinyinwǎn xī

Meaning

  • verbregret

Example

我很惋惜他没能来参加。wǒ hěn wǎn xī tā méi néng lái cān jiā

I really regret that he couldn't come.

Illustration for 惋惜 (regret)

More examples

我感到惋惜没能见到他的最后一面。wǒ gǎn dào wǎn xī méi néng jiàn dào tā de zuì hòu yí miàn

I regret that I couldn't see him one last time.

Core concept

A sense of loss that joins regret with sympathy for what or whom the loss affects.

Common phrases

  • 感到惋惜gǎn dào wǎn xī

    feel regret

  • 让人惋惜ràng rén wǎn xī

    cause regret

Similar words

可惜kě xī: Feel sorry that something did not happen or turned out badly.
遗憾yí hàn: Express regret about an unwanted outcome in a formal way.
同情tóng qíng: Care about another person's suffering and feel sorry for them.

Definition in Chinese

表示对失去、错过或不如意处境感到遗憾，常含对当事人的同情或惋惜之情。biǎo shì duì shī qù cuò guò huò bù rú yì chǔ jìng gǎn dào yí hàn cháng hán duì dāng shì rén de tóng qíng huò wǎn xī zhī qíng

Word origin

惋 (wǎn, "feel regret") + 惜 (xī, "cherish") combines sorrow over an unwanted outcome with the sense that what was lost mattered.

Usage tips

  • English regret often centers on the speaker's own choice, while this Chinese verb can also express compassionate regret about another person's missed chance.

Other meanings

  • feel sorry forverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 惋惜不已wǎn xī bù yǐregret deeplyidiom

Word lists with this word