Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 抱怨 | bàoyuàn |
| 發牢騷 / 发牢骚 | fā láosāo |
| 悲嘆 / 悲叹 | bēitàn |
The standard way to express feelings of dissatisfaction, pain or resentment is to use 抱怨.
Which one should you use?
抱怨 is the general term for expressing dissatisfaction or resentment. In contrast, 发牢骚 (or the traditional characters 發牢騷) is used to describe grumbling or venting about petty grievances. For a much more formal and heavy emotional expression involving grief or lamentation, you would use 悲叹 (or 悲嘆).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
抱怨 is the standard, general term. For formal contexts, such as making an official complaint, the term 投诉 (tóu sù) is commonly used. If you are speaking colloquially about venting frustrations or grumbling, use 发牢骚 (fā láosāo).
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are complaining about a specific person or thing, use the structure 抱怨 [person/thing].
How do you pronounce it?
bàoyuàn
Did you know?
- In mainland China, the phrase 发牢骚 can sometimes carry a political connotation, suggesting a dissatisfaction with the state of society or government policy.
- The character 怨 in 抱怨 contains the radical for 'heart' at the bottom, visually representing that complaining is an emotional state rooted in the heart.
- In some dialects, the act of complaining is described using terms related to 'bitterness', as the feeling of 'bitter' (苦) is the primary sensory metaphor for resentment.
Examples in context
- 你想抱怨嗎？Do you wish to complain?This sentence is useful for asking if someone wants to use the form 抱怨.Tatoeba #6447553 by verdastelo9604, translation #3825629 by CK
- 他們總是抱怨。They always complain.This sentence shows the use of 抱怨 to describe a repeated action.Tatoeba #3713638 by egg0073, translation #662582 by bluepie88
- 农民总是抱怨天气。Farmers always complain about the weather.This sentence demonstrates how to use 抱怨 when complaining about the weather.Tatoeba #7774819 by jiangche, translation #282331 by CK
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two colleagues are talking in the office during a break.
- 志强 Zhiqiang你为什么一直在抱怨工作？Nǐ wèishéme yīzhí zài bàoyuàn gōngzuò?Why do you keep complaining about work?
- 雨婷 Yuting因为这个任务太难了。Yīnwèi zhège rènwù tài nán le.Because this task is too difficult.
- 志强 Zhiqiang别抱怨了，我们一起想办法。Bié bàoyuàn le, wǒmen yīqǐ xiǎng bànfǎ.Stop complaining, let's think of a way together.
- 雨婷 Yuting谢谢你，志强。Xièxiè nǐ, Zhìqiáng.Thank you, Zhiqiang.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “complain” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
