Chinese · Emotions & Feelings

生气

shēngqì

Angry

Beginneradjective

Definition

Feeling or showing anger.

Example

别生气,他不是故意的。

Don't be angry, he didn't do it on purpose.

Etymology

生气 (shēngqì) draws from 生 (shēng, meaning 'to give birth' or 'to produce') and 气 (qì, meaning 'air' or 'energy'). This phrase describes the emergence of anger within a person.

How & Where It’s Used

Used commonly in informal spoken contexts, 生气 is also found in written forms, understood across different Chinese-speaking regions.

Literary Heritage

The term is frequently mentioned in discussions of emotions and is often used in idiomatic expressions addressing anger.

Watch “Angry” pronunciation on YouTube
emotionnegative

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