Chinese word

烦躁

Pronunciation

Pinyinfán zào

Meaning

  • adjectiveirritable

Example

他今天工作太多，觉得很烦躁。tā jīn tiān gōng zuò tài duō jué de hěn fán zào

He has too much work today and feels very irritable.

Illustration for 烦躁 (irritable)

More examples

开会的时候，他听到反对意见就变得很烦躁。kāi huì de shí hòu tā tīng dào fǎn duì yì jiàn jiù biàn de hěn fán zào

When he hears opposing opinions at the meeting, he becomes very irritable.

Core concept

A restless inner agitation that makes small annoyances feel sharp and keeps a person from settling.

Common phrases

  • 感到烦躁gǎn dào fán zào

    feel irritated

  • 变得烦躁biàn de fán zào

    get irritable

  • 烦躁不安fán zào bù ān

    irritable and restless

  • 很烦躁hěn fán zào

    very irritable

Similar words

焦躁jiāo zào: Restless impatience caused by wanting something to be finished quickly.
急躁jí zào: A hasty, impatient manner that leads to quick anger or rash actions.
烦恼fán nǎo: A heavy-hearted state caused by worries or troubling problems.
焦虑jiāo lǜ: Anxious unease caused by strong worry about the future or an outcome.

Definition in Chinese

感到急躁、无法平静，心里不安且易因小事发怒或坐立不安。gǎn dào jí zào wú fǎ píng jìng xīn lǐ bù ān qiě yì yīn xiǎo shì fā nù huò zuò lì bù ān

Word origin

烦 (fán, "troubled") + 躁 (zào, "restless") combine to describe troubling feelings that become restless irritation.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, it often describes a passing reaction to overload, heat, noise, or waiting, not a lasting character trait.

Other meanings

  • fidgetyadjective
  • unsettledadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 烦躁感fán zào gǎnfeeling of irritabilitynoun
  • 烦躁不安fán zào bù ānirritable and restlessidiom

Word lists with this word