Chinese word

犯愁

Pronunciation

Pinyinfàn chóu

Meaning

  • verbworry

Example

快考试了，他开始犯愁。kuài kǎo shì le tā kāi shǐ fàn chóu

The exam is coming up, and he is starting to worry.

Illustration for 犯愁 (worry)

More examples

面对困难，他并没有犯愁，而是想办法解决。miàn duì kùn nán tā bìng méi yǒu fàn chóu ér shì xiǎng bàn fǎ jiě jué

Faced with difficulties, he did not worry but instead thought of a way to solve them.

Core concept

A specific problem settles heavily on a person's mind, making the person uneasy and unable to feel at ease.

Common phrases

  • 为考试犯愁wèi kǎo shì fàn chóu

    worry about exams

  • 对未来犯愁duì wèi lái fàn chóu

    worry about the future

  • 犯愁起来fàn chóu qǐ lái

    start to worry

Similar words

担心dān xīn: Be concerned about whether someone or something will be safe or successful.
忧虑yōu lǜ: Remain deeply worried while thinking about a problem for a long time.
着急zháo jí: Become anxious because something is late or is not moving fast enough.
烦恼fán nǎo: Become mentally unsettled by minor problems or personal worries.

Definition in Chinese

因某事感到忧虑或苦恼，心情不安，常用于人因具体问题而发愁。yīn mǒu shì gǎn dào yōu lǜ huò kú nǎo xīn qíng bù ān cháng yòng yú rén yīn jù tǐ wèn tí ér fā chóu

Word origin

犯愁 (fànchóu, "fall into sorrow") combines 犯 (fàn, "fall into or be affected by") with 愁 (chóu, "sorrow"), framing worry as sorrow that comes upon a person.

Usage tips

  • The everyday pattern puts the person first, places a concrete cause after 为 (wèi, "for"), and ends with the verb, making a specific source of concern easy to name.

Other meanings

  • fretverb
  • be troubledverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word