Chinese word

灰心

Pronunciation

Pinyinhuī xīn

Meaning

  • verbfeel discouraged

Example

听说他辞职了，我有点灰心。tīng shuō tā cí zhí le wǒ yóu diǎn huī xīn

When I heard that he had quit, I felt a little discouraged.

Illustration for 灰心 (feel discouraged)

More examples

连续几个月失败后，他终于灰心了。lián xù jǐ gè yuè shī bài hòu tā zhōng yú huī xīn le

After failing for several months in a row, he finally felt discouraged.

Core concept

A once-burning heart reduced to cold ash when setbacks drain hope and confidence.

Common phrases

  • 感到灰心gǎn dào huī xīn

    feel discouraged

  • 有点灰心yóu diǎn huī xīn

    feel a little discouraged

  • 别灰心bié huī xīn

    don't feel discouraged

Similar words

失望shī wàng: Feeling disappointed when an expected result does not happen.
气馁qì něi: Losing the will to keep trying because of difficulty or failure.
泄气xiè qì: Losing energy or courage and becoming less spirited after a setback.
沮丧jǔ sàng: Becoming low in mood and losing energy when things go wrong.

Definition in Chinese

因为遇到挫折或未达到预期而感到失望，心情消沉，信心减弱。yīn wèi yù dào cuò zhé huò wèi dá dào yù qī ér gǎn dào shī wàng xīn qíng xiāo chén xìn xīn jiǎn ruò

Word origin

灰 (huī, "ash") + 心 (xīn, "heart") creates a picture of motivation and confidence cooling after a fire burns down.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, this word usually describes a setback-related drop in morale, so it is milder and more temporary than language for a lasting mental-health condition.

Other meanings

  • discouragementnoun

Opposites

  • 振作zhèn zuòpull oneself togetherverb
  • 重拾信心chóng shí xìn xīnregain confidenceverb

Related words

  • 灰心丧气huī xīn sàng qìbe utterly discouragedidiom

Word lists with this word