Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 精神的 | jīngshén de |
| 心理的 | xīnlǐ de |
The term refers to things relating to the mind. While both forms deal with mental aspects, they are used in different contexts depending on whether you are discussing psychological processes or broader spiritual and psychic qualities.
What does it mean word for word?
The core component 精神 (jīngshén) literally refers to the spirit, mind or vital energy of a person.
Which one should you use?
Use 心理的 (xīnlǐ de) when you are referring specifically to psychological processes or mental states, as this form is strictly limited to the domain of psychology. In contrast, 精神的 (jīngshén de) is used for broader mental, spiritual or psychic aspects and can also mean "spiritual" or "soul-related".
How do you pronounce it?
jīngshén de
What mistakes should you avoid?
In a clinical or medical context, "mental illness" or "psychosis" is often translated as 精神病 (jīngshén bìng) rather than using the adjective 精神的 (jīngshén de) alone.
Did you know?
- The character 心 (xīn) in 心理 (xīnlǐ) means 'heart', reflecting the ancient belief that the heart was the seat of intelligence and emotion rather than the brain.
- To describe a 'mental breakdown', Chinese often uses the phrase 精神崩溃 (jīngshén bēngkuì), where 崩溃 (bēngkuì) literally means 'to collapse like a building'.
- If you describe someone as having a 'great 精神 (jīngshén)', you are not saying they are smart, but rather that they have high morale or great spirit.
Examples in context
- 移民们忍受着肉体和精神的痛苦。The emigrants have endured physical and mental pain.This sentence is useful for showing how to describe mental pain in opposition to physical pain using 精神的.Tatoeba #1395055 by mtdot, translation #28165 by AlanF_US
- 精神的健康和身體的健康一樣重要。Mental health is as important as physical health.This sentence is useful for illustrating the concept of mental health using 精神的.Tatoeba #616869 by nickyeow, translation #271907 by CM
- 心理健康Mental health
- 心理疾病Mental illness
- 心情不好Feeling down
- 积极的心态Positive mindset
- 消极的心态Negative mindset
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mental” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
