Chinese word

泄气

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiè qì

Meaning

  • verbfeel discouraged

Example

比赛输了，大家都有点泄气。bǐ sài shū le dà jiā dōu yóu diǎn xiè qì

The team lost the match, and everyone felt a little discouraged.

Illustration for 泄气 (feel discouraged)

More examples

别泄气，我们还有机会。bié xiè qì wǒ men hái yǒu jī huì

Don't lose heart; we still have a chance.

Core concept

A loss of inner pressure lets effort and hope sink away, like air leaving a container.

Common phrases

  • 别泄气bié xiè qì

    don't lose heart

  • 不必泄气bú bì xiè qì

    have no need to feel discouraged

  • 不要泄气bú yào xiè qì

    don't lose heart

Similar words

气馁qì něi: Start to lose courage and motivation when facing difficulty or failure, almost giving up.
失望shī wàng: Feel let down because an expected result or hoped-for outcome does not happen.
沮丧jǔ sàng: Feel low and lose energy or motivation after an upsetting event.
灰心huī xīn: Lose hope and motivation, becoming downhearted about continuing.

Definition in Chinese

因失败、打击或希望落空而感到灰心、失去干劲；也可指气体从容器中漏出。yīn shī bài dǎ jī huò xī wàng luò kōng ér gǎn dào huī xīn shī qù gàn jìn yě kě zhǐ qì tǐ cóng róng qì zhōng lòu chū

Word origin

泄气 (xièqì, "air leaking out") combines 泄 (xiè, "to leak or release") with 气 (qì, "air or vital energy"), first describing escaping air and then loss of drive after a setback.

Usage tips

  • The short encouragement 别泄气 (bié xièqì, "do not lose heart") fits everyday support after a failed attempt, so this verb appears in conversation as well as in descriptions of setbacks.

Other meanings

  • be disappointedverb
  • deflateverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word