燒心 / 烧心
shāoxīn
The English phrase "heartburn" is translated into Mandarin as 燒心 / 烧心 (shāoxīn). Wiktionary also lists 胃灼熱 / 胃灼热 (wèizhuórè).
Meaning: pain caused by stomach acid (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 燒心 / 烧心 | shāoxīn |
| 胃灼熱 / 胃灼热 | wèizhuórè |
燒心 / 烧心 is the most common way to describe the symptom in daily conversation.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 燒心 / 烧心 literally translates to "burning heart".
Which one should you use?
While 燒心 / 烧心 is a common, colloquial way to say heartburn, 胃灼熱 / 胃灼热 is a more formal, medical term used to describe the sensation of burning in the stomach/gastric area.
How do you pronounce it?
shāoxīn
Did you know?
- While 燒心 refers to heartburn in a medical context, it can also be used metaphorically to describe an intense feeling of grief, anxiety or emotional distress that feels as if the heart is burning.
- Traditional Chinese medicine often associates the 'burning' sensation in the chest with an imbalance of 'fire' in the body, rather than just a digestive malfunction.
- Because 燒心 (shāo xīn) literally translates to 'burning heart', a learner should be careful not to use it when describing actual cardiac pain, which is usually called 心痛 (xīn tòng).
Examples in context
- 我感到胸口灼痛。I feel a burning pain in my chest.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “heartburn” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
