Chinese word

愁

Pronunciation

Pinyinchóu

Meaning

  • nounsadness

Example

他心里有愁，却没说出来。tā xīn lǐ yǒu chóu què méi shuō chū lái

There is sadness in his heart, but he does not say anything.

Illustration for 愁 (sadness)

More examples

他最近工作压力大，总是愁眉苦脸。tā zuì jìn gōng zuò yā lì dà zǒng shì chóu méi kú liǎn

He has been under a lot of pressure at work lately and always looks worried and miserable.

Core concept

A lingering knot of concern in the heart that weighs down the mood and keeps the mind returning to the same troubling matter.

Common phrases

  • 愁眉苦脸chóu méi kú liǎn

    look worried and miserable

  • 心里有愁xīn lǐ yǒu chóu

    have sadness in one's heart

Similar words

担心dān xīn: A feeling of worry about the future or another person's safety.
担忧dān yōu: A restless feeling of worry about future results or possible difficulties.
烦恼fán nǎo: A heavy feeling caused by unpleasant daily matters and personal troubles.
忧虑yōu lǜ: A long-lasting feeling of worry about the effects or possibility of a problem.

Definition in Chinese

表示对某事的牵挂与思虑，常表现为心中翻来覆去、难以释怀的忧虑情绪。biǎo shì duì mǒu shì de qiān guà yǔ sī lǜ cháng biǎo xiàn wèi xīn zhōng fān lái fù qù nán yǐ shì huái de yōu lǜ qíng xù

Word origin

愁 (chóu, "sorrow") is formed from 心 (xīn, "heart") + 秋 (qiū, "autumn"), with 心 indicating an inner feeling and 秋 mainly supplying the sound.

Usage tips

  • English usually treats a feeling of sadness and a source of worry as separate ideas, but this word can hold both in one inward mood.

Other meanings

  • worrynoun
  • gloomyadjective

Opposites

  • 喜色xǐ sèhappy expressionnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word