Language/Mandarin-chinese/Vocabulary/Emotions-and-Feelings

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Mandarin Chinese Vocabulary → Professions and Personality Traits → Emotions and Feelings

As a Mandarin Chinese language teacher with 20 years of experience, I believe that learning common adjectives and expressions used to express emotions and feelings is essential to mastering the language. In this lesson, we will cover useful vocabulary related to this topic, and teach you how to use it correctly.

With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: 划(劃) huà plan & 单(單) dān single, alone; odd numbered; list.

Common Emotions and Feelings

Learning how to express emotions and feelings will help you to communicate more effectively with others. Here are some common expressions used to describe emotions in Mandarin Chinese:

Mandarin Chinese	Pronunciation	English Translation
生气	shēng qì	Angry
开心	kāi xīn	Happy
伤心	shāng xīn	Sad
害怕	hài pà	Afraid
惊讶	jīng yà	Surprised

Here are some additional vocabulary words that you can use to describe emotions:

• 感觉 (gǎn jué): Feelings / Sensations
• 无聊 (wú liáo): Bored
• 兴奋 (xīng fèn): Excited
• 紧张 (jǐn zhāng): Nervous
• 痛苦 (tòng kǔ): Painful

Remember, when using these words, it is essential to know how to convey tone properly. In Mandarin Chinese, tones are significant because words that sound the same can have different meanings depending on the tone.

How to Use Emotions and Feelings in Conversation

To initiate a conversation about emotions, here are some useful sentence patterns:

1. 我感觉/觉得 (wǒ gǎn jué/jué de) -- I feel/think that... For example: 我感觉很饿 (wǒ gǎn jué hěn è) -- I feel very hungry.

2. 我很/非常/有点 (wǒ hěn/fēi cháng/yǒu diǎn) -- I am very/extremely/a little... For example: 我很快乐 (wǒ hěn kuài lè) -- I am very happy.

3. 我...了 (wǒ...le) -- I have... For example: 我开心了 (wǒ kāi xīn le) -- I am happy now.

4. 你觉得/感觉怎么样？(nǐ jué de/gǎn jué zěn me yàng?) -- What do you think/feel? For example: 你觉得这部电影怎么样？(nǐ jué de zhè bù diàn yǐng zěn me yàng?) -- What do you think of this movie?

When discussing emotions and feelings, it is common to use the verb “to be” (是, shì) as well. Here are some examples:

• 我很不高兴 (wǒ hěn bù gāo xìng) -- I am very unhappy
• 他很疼 (tā hěn téng) -- He is in pain
• 她很冷 (tā hěn lěng) -- She is cold

It is important to remember that the subject (I / He / She) always comes before the verb (is/am/are).

Cultural Insights

Chinese culture values self-expression, but it is also necessary to express emotions in an appropriate and controlled manner. Public displays of intense emotions, like anger or sadness, are generally viewed as a lack of self-control or immaturity. It is also common for Chinese people to use indirect expressions when discussing sensitive topics like emotions.

Practice Exercises

Now that we have covered some basic emotions and how to use them in conversation, let's practice! Here are some exercises to help you reinforce the vocabulary and sentence structures we learned in this lesson:

1. Describe how you are feeling today using at least three different adjectives.

2. Ask your friend how they feel about their day so far, and describe your own day using '感觉' (gǎn jué).

3. Write a short paragraph about how you felt watching a movie or reading a book.

4. Listen to a dialogue and identify the different emotion-related expressions used.

Sources

• Mandarin Chinese Wikipedia
• Emotions in Chinese Culture

Table of Contents - Mandarin Chinese Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Pinyin and Tones

• Pinyin Introduction
• Tones Introduction
• Tone Pairs

  ---

Greetings and Basic Expressions

• Greeting People
• Basic Expressions
• Numbers and Counters

  ---

Sentence Structure and Word Order

• Subject-Verb-Object Structure
• Question Words and Question Structure
• Adjectives and Adverbs
• Negation and Conjunctions
• Particles and Structure Particles

  ---

Daily Life and Survival Expressions

• Asking for Directions
• Ordering Food and Drinks
• Shopping and Bargaining
• Transport and Travel
• Emergencies and Medical Care

  ---

Chinese Festivals and Traditions

• Spring Festival and Chunyun
• Mid-Autumn Festival and Mooncakes
• Dragon Boat Festival and Zongzi
• Double Ninth Festival and Chongyang Cake

  ---

Verbs and Verb Usage

• Action Verbs and Stative Verbs
• Modal Verbs and Auxiliary Verbs
• Complex Verb Phrases

  ---

Hobbies, Sports and Activities

• Leisure Activities and Hobbies
• Sports and Exercise
• Outdoor Activities and Nature
• Music and Film

  ---

China's Geography and Landmarks

• China's Four Great Ancient Capitals
• Famous Chinese Mountains and Rivers
• China's Great Wall

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Common and Proper Nouns
• Personal Pronouns and Possessive Pronouns
• Demonstrative Pronouns and Interrogative Pronouns

  ---

Professions and Personality Traits

• Professions and Jobs
• Personality Traits and Characteristics
• Emotions and Feelings

  ---

Chinese Traditional Arts and Crafts

• Chinese Calligraphy and Painting
• Chinese Opera and Drama
• Chinese Knots and Paper-cutting

  ---

Comparative and Superlative

• Comparative Form and Usage
• Superlative Form and Usage

  ---

Cities, Countries and Tourist Destinations

• Chinese and International Cities
• Country Names and Nationalities
• Tourist Attractions and Transportation

  ---

Modern China and Current Events

• China's Economy and Business Landscape
• Chinese Art and Entertainment Scene
• Current Events and Issues in China and Beyond

Other Lessons

• 破 pò break, tear, split
• 坏(壞) huài bad
• 及 jí and; reach
• Weather and Climate
• 色 sè color
• Useful phrases
• 爱(愛) ài love, like
• 感 găn respond; feel
• Greeting People
• 信 xìn letter; have faith in, believe

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