Chinese word

眼红

Pronunciation

Pinyinyǎn hóng

Meaning

  • verbbe envious

Example

看到朋友的新车我就会眼红。kàn dào péng yǒu de xīn chē wǒ jiù huì yǎn hóng

I feel envious when I see my friend's new car.

Illustration for 眼红 (be envious)

More examples

他暗自眼红，但表面上仍然对朋友很客气。tā àn zì yǎn hóng dàn biǎo miàn shàng réng rán duì péng yǒu hěn kè qì

He secretly felt envious, but was still very polite to his friend on the surface.

Core concept

Seeing someone else's possessions or success makes the eyes metaphorically red with wanting the same advantage.

Common phrases

  • 暗自眼红àn zì yǎn hóng

    secretly feel envious

  • 看到别人的新车就眼红kàn dào bié rén de xīn chē jiù yǎn hóng

    get envious when seeing other people's new cars

Similar words

嫉妒jí dù: Resenting someone for having qualities, success, or benefits that seem desirable.
羡慕xiàn mù: Appreciating another person's strengths or good conditions while wishing for similar ones.

Definition in Chinese

因别人拥有自己没有的东西或优越处而感到羡慕或嫉妒。yīn bié rén yōng yǒu zì jǐ méi yǒu de dōng xī huò yōu yuè chù ér gǎn dào xiàn mù huò jí dù

Word origin

The compound 眼 (yǎn, "eye") + 红 (hóng, "red") pictures envy as an emotional change visible in the eyes, giving the word its vivid everyday sense.

Usage tips

  • English red-eyed often suggests tiredness or tearfulness, so that translation can mislead unless the surrounding context shows a reaction to someone else's good fortune.

Other meanings

  • be jealousverb
  • red-eyedadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word