Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 討厭 / 讨厌 | tǎoyàn |
| 煩人 / 烦人 | fánrén |
Both terms describe something that causes irritation. 討厭 / 讨厌 is used to describe things or people that are annoying or even hateful, while 煩人 / 烦人 specifically describes things that are bothersome or repetitive in their annoyance.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 討厭 / 讨厌 literally means 'to dislike' or 'to hate'. The word 煩人 / 烦人 is composed of 煩 (to bother/trouble) and 人 (person), literally meaning 'to bother people'.
Which one should you use?
討厭 / 讨厌 can describe both an annoying behavior and a person you personally dislike. In contrast, 煩人 / 烦人 focuses more specifically on the repetitive or bothersome nature of an action or a person.
How does it change in a sentence?
Since these words function as adjectives, they are often preceded by an adverb of degree like 很 (hěn – 'very') to sound more natural in a sentence, such as in 很煩人.
How do you pronounce it?
tǎoyàn
When do people say it?
Adding 真 (zhēn – 'really') before 討厭 to create 真討厭！ is a common way to express frustration at an annoying person or situation.
Did you know?
- The character 煩 in 煩人 originally referred to the tangled fibers of hemp, representing the feeling of a mind becoming knotted and cluttered by stress.
- While 討厭 can mean 'annoying', it is often used as a flirtatious or 'cute' way to tell a partner they are being teasingly annoying, similar to saying 'You're terrible' with a smile.
- The word 煩 is also used to describe the 'annoying' heat of a humid summer day, combining the physical sensation of sweat with mental irritability.
Examples in context
- 这种行为真是让人讨厌！(Zhè zhǒng xíngwéi zhēnshi ràng rén tǎo yàn!)This kind of behavior is really annoying!
- 他的态度令人不悦。(Tā de tàidù lìngrén bù yuè.)His attitude is unpleasant.
- 他真是个烦人的家伙！(Tā zhēnshì gè fán rén de jiāhuo!)He is such an annoying guy!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “annoying” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
