生气
shēngqì
The Chinese word for mad is 生气, pronounced shēngqì.
生气 is used to describe the state of being angry. If you want to express being mad at a specific person or thing, use the structure 对 [person/thing] 生气.
Meaning: angry (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The term 生气 is composed of 生 (to produce/generate) and 气 (air/breath/gas), which literally means 'to generate breath'.
Which one should you use?
While 生气 describes the state of being angry, the term 发火 is more intense and describes the sudden act of losing one's temper or 'flaring up'.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can use different forms of the word depending on the context. Adding the particle 了 after 生气 to create 生气了 indicates a change of state, such as moving from a calm state to an angry one, meaning 'became mad' or 'got angry'. When using 生气 as an adjective to modify a noun, it is common to add the particle 的, such as in 生气的脸 (an angry face).
How do you pronounce it?
shēngqì
Did you know?
- In Chinese culture, the concept of 气 is central to Traditional Chinese Medicine, where anger is believed to disrupt the flow of 'qi' and specifically affect the liver.
- In some social contexts, a person might say 我没生气 ('I am not angry') while acting visibly mad, as direct expressions of anger can be seen as a loss of face.
- If you are frustrated by a situation, you might say 气死我了, which means 'it has angered me to death'.
Examples in context
- 你有看见过汤姆生气的时候吗？Have you ever seen Tom mad?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has seen a person in the state of being 生气.Tatoeba #5097868 by mirrorvan, translation #4724244 by CK
- 您生气了吗？Are you mad?This sentence is useful for asking if someone is currently 生气.Tatoeba #476597 by fucongcong, translation #18965 by CK
- 她跟我生气了。She is mad at me.This sentence is useful for showing how someone is 生气 at a specific person.Tatoeba #423363 by fucongcong, translation #6130 by CK
- 他因为失败感到很生气。He feels very mad because of the failure.
- 她的不公平行为使我很愤怒。Her unfair behavior makes me very mad.
- 你为什么生气了？Why are you mad?
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is talking in their living room after a small argument.
- 志强 Zhiqiang你还在生气吗？Nǐ hái zài shēngqì ma?Are you still angry?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我没有生气。Wǒ méiyǒu shēngqì.I am not angry.
- 志强 Zhiqiang可是你看起来很生气。Kěshì nǐ kàn qǐlái hěn shēngqì.But you look very angry.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我只是有点累了。Wǒ zhǐshì yǒudiǎn lèi le.I am just a little tired.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
