焦虑
The English phrase "anxiety" is translated into Chinese as 焦虑.
焦虑 refers to a state of uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession. You can also use the phrase 焦虑感 to describe a subjective sense of anxiety. This is formed by adding the suffix 感 (meaning "feeling" or "sense") to 焦虑.
Meaning: state of uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 焦虑 refers to a psychological state of anxiety, you should use 紧张 if you want to describe feeling "nervous" or "tense" in a specific moment, such as before a speech.
Did you know?
- The character 焦 in 焦虑 literally means 'burnt' or 'scorched', suggesting that anxiety feels like being burned or scorched by worry.
- In modern Chinese internet slang, people often use the term 内卷 ('involution') to describe the systemic anxiety caused by hyper-competition in education and work.
- In traditional Chinese medicine, the feeling of 焦虑 is often associated with an imbalance of the 'Liver' or 'Heart' organs rather than just the brain.
Examples in context
- 解决考前焦虑的办法是立刻开始学习。The way to solve pre-exam anxiety is to start learning now.This sentence shows how to use 焦虑 in the context of pre-exam anxiety.Tatoeba #10184301 by slo_oth, translation #12131877 by AlanF_US
- 日历上画着红圈的截稿日期使我陷入了焦虑。The red circle on the calendar marking the deadline causes me to fall into anxiety.This sentence illustrates how a deadline can cause someone to fall into a state of 焦虑.Tatoeba #10028092 by GlossaMatik, translation #11272813 by Aphima
- 我感到很焦虑。I feel very anxious.
- 这个考试给我带来了很大的焦虑。This exam brought me a lot of anxiety.
- 他对未来感到焦虑。He feels anxious about the future.
- 最近工作压力大，我心烦意乱。I've been stressed at work lately, feeling anxious and mentally restless.
- 考试前的准备工作让我心烦意乱。The preparations before the exam made me feel anxious and mentally troubled.
- 老板临时改变计划，让大家感到非常焦躁。The boss changed the plan unexpectedly, making everyone feel extremely anxious and irritable.
- 当你面对紧张的情况时，你可能会感到有些焦躁。When facing a stressful situation, you might feel a bit anxious and irritable.
- 由于长时间的加班，他感到非常焦虑。Yóuyú cháng shíjiān de jiābān, tā gǎndào fēicháng jiāolǜ.Due to long hours of overtime, he feels very anxious.
Example conversation
A man and a woman are talking about work stress.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen最近工作压力很大吗？Zuìjìn gōngzuò yālì hěn dà ma?Is work pressure very high lately?
- 伟 Wei是的，我最近经常感到焦虑。Shì de, wǒ zuìjìn jīngcháng gǎndào jiāolǜ.Yes, I frequently feel anxiety lately.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你应该多休息，放松一下。Nǐ yīnggāi duō xiūxi, fàngsōng yīxià.You should rest more and relax a bit.
- 伟 Wei谢谢你，晓雯。Xièxiè nǐ, Xiǎowén.Thank you, Xiaowen.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
