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灰心丧气

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: huī xīn sàng qì
  • English Translation: To lose heart / To be utterly dejected
  • Idiom Composition: 「灰」（Ash; representing a cold, extinguished state of passion or will.）＋「心」（Heart or mind.）＋「丧」（To lose or be deprived of.）＋「气」（Spirit, morale, or vital energy.）
  • Meaning: To lose confidence and become discouraged or dejected in the face of failure or setbacks. It describes a state where one's will is extinguished like cold ashes and their spirit is lost.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「灰心丧气」 contains the following nuances:

  • Loss of Confidence: It emphasizes not just sadness, but the breaking of one's will and hope for the future.
  • Cause and Effect: The term usually implies a specific trigger, such as a failure or criticism, that results in this demoralized psychological state.

3. Usage

「灰心丧气」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Reacting to failure: Used to describe the state of mind after failing an exam, making a mistake at work, or facing a setback.
    • Example:「虽然这次实验失败了，但我们不能灰心丧气，要总结经验重头再来。」
      （Although the experiment failed this time, we must not lose heart; we should summarize the experience and start over.)
  • Words of encouragement: Often used with negative markers like 'don't' (不要 or 别) to inspire others to stay strong.
    • Example:「遇到这点小挫折就灰心丧气，以后怎么成大事？」
      （If you get discouraged over such a small setback, how can you achieve great things in the future?)
  • Describing a state of being: Used to objectively describe someone who has lost their vitality and appears gloomy.
    • Example:「自从失业后，他整天灰心丧气，对什么都提不起兴趣。」
      （Since losing his job, he has been dejected all day, showing no interest in anything.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 不要因为一时的困难而灰心丧气，坚持下去就是胜利。
    （Don't lose heart because of temporary difficulties; persistence leads to victory.）
  2. 看着队友们一个个灰心丧气的样子，队长决定给大家打气。
    （Seeing his teammates looking utterly discouraged, the captain decided to give them a pep talk.）
  3. 他并没有因为批评而灰心丧气，反而更加努力了。
    （He didn't get disheartened by the criticism; instead, he worked even harder.）
  4. 连续的阴雨天气让人感到有些灰心丧气。
    （The continuous rainy weather makes people feel somewhat depressed and low-spirited.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • The idiom originates from the book Shen Yin Yu (呻吟语) by the Ming Dynasty thinker Lü Kun (吕坤). It was originally used to caution those with weak resolve who give up easily due to the opinions of others.
  • The image of 灰心 (huī xīn) relates to the expression 心如死灰 (xīn rú sǐ huī), meaning 'a heart like dead ashes.' In Chinese culture, extinguished fire or cold ash symbolizes the loss of passion or desire. While sometimes used in Buddhist or Taoist contexts to mean 'transcending worldly desires,' in 灰心丧气 (huī xīn sàng qì), it carries a purely negative connotation of being demoralized.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

灰心丧气 (huī xīn sàng qì) describes the state of losing motivation and confidence due to difficulties. Combining 灰心 (huī xīn), meaning 'heart turning to ash,' and 丧气 (sàng qì), meaning 'losing spirit,' it is frequently used in encouraging contexts, often in the negative form 'don't lose heart' (不要灰心丧气).

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Pre-Level 1

Idiom Essay

huī xīn sàng qì
灰心丧气
Losing Heart
yǒu xiē有些shí hòu时候，wǒ men我们huì会gǎn dào感到yī zhǒng一种hěn很tè bié特别de的pí bèi疲惫。

Sometimes, we feel a very special kind of exhaustion.

tā它bú shì不是yīn wèi因为shēn tǐ身体lèi累le了，ér shì而是yīn wèi因为xīn lǐ心里yuán běn原本rán shāo燃烧zhe着de的nà那tuán团huǒ火，hǎo xiàng好像tū rán突然xī miè熄灭le了。

It is not because the body is tired, but because the fire that was burning in the heart seems to have suddenly gone out.

yuán běn原本nǐ你duì对yī jiàn一件shì qíng事情chōng mǎn充满le了xī wàng希望，nǐ你fù chū付出le了hěn很duō多nǔ lì努力，shèn zhì甚至yǐ jīng已经xiǎng xiàng想象hǎo好le了chéng gōng成功de的yàng zi样子。

Originally, you were full of hope for something, you put in a lot of effort, and even imagined what success would look like.

dàn shì但是，jié guǒ结果què却bù rú rén yì不如人意。

However, the result was not as expected.

yě xǔ也许shì是yī cì一次gǎo zá搞砸le了de的miàn shì面试，yě xǔ也许shì是yí gè一个hěn很jiǔ久méi yǒu没有huí yīn回音de的shēn qǐng申请，huò zhě或者shì是yī cì yòu yī cì一次又一次de的xiǎo小shī bài失败。

Maybe it was a messed-up interview, an application that hasn't been answered for a long time, or one small failure after another.

jiù就zài在nà那yī kè一刻，nǐ你huì会jué de觉得shēn tǐ身体lǐ里de的lì qì力气bèi被chōu zǒu抽走le了，bù xiǎng不想shuō huà说话，bù xiǎng不想dòng动，shèn zhì甚至bù xiǎng不想zài再shì试yī cì一次。

At that moment, you feel the strength in your body being drained away; you don't want to talk, you don't want to move, and you don't even want to try again.

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个fēi cháng非常xíng xiàng形象de的chéng yǔ成语，yòng lái用来xíng róng形容zhè zhǒng这种zhuàng tài状态，jiào叫“huī xīn sàng qì灰心丧气”。

In Chinese, there is a very vivid idiom used to describe this state, called 灰心丧气.

zhè ge这个cí词de的huà miàn画面gǎn感hěn很qiáng强。

This word has a strong sense of imagery.

“huī xīn灰心”，shì是bǎ把xīn心bǐ zuò比作rán shāo燃烧hòu后de的huī jìn灰烬。

灰心 compares the heart to ashes after burning.

huǒ火xī miè熄灭le了，shèng xià剩下de的jiù shì就是lěng bīng bīng冷冰冰de的、huī bái sè灰白色de的dōng xī东西，méi yǒu没有le了wēn dù温度，yě也méi yǒu没有le了guāng liàng光亮。

When the fire goes out, what remains is cold, grayish-white matter, without temperature or light.

“sàng qì丧气”，zé则shì是zhǐ指shī qù失去le了nà那yī gǔ一股“qì气”。

丧气 refers to losing that flow of 气.

zài在zhōng guó中国wén huà文化lǐ里，“qì气”dài biǎo代表zhe着yī zhǒng一种jīng shén精神lì liàng力量。

In Chinese culture, 气 represents a kind of spiritual power.

dāng当zhè这gǔ股qì气“sàng丧”shī失le了，rén人jiù就huì会xiàng像xiè泄le了qì气de的pí qiú皮球yī yàng一样，biàn dé变得dī luò低落、méi yǒu没有jīng shén精神。

When this 气 is lost, a person becomes like a deflated ball, becoming low and spiritless.

suǒ yǐ所以，“huī xīn sàng qì灰心丧气”bù jǐn jǐn不仅仅shì是nán guò难过。

Therefore, 灰心丧气 is not just about being sad.

nán guò难过de的shí hòu时候，wǒ men我们kě néng可能huì会kū哭；dàn但zài在“huī xīn sàng qì灰心丧气”de的shí hòu时候，wǒ men我们wǎng wǎng往往shì是chén mò沉默de的。

When we are sad, we might cry; but when we are 灰心丧气, we are often silent.

tā它shì是yī zhǒng一种“fàng qì放弃”de的chōng dòng冲动——jué de觉得wú lùn无论zì jǐ自己zài再zuò做shén me什么，hǎo xiàng好像dōu都méi yǒu没有yòng用le了。

It is an impulse to give up—feeling that no matter what you do, it seems useless.

wǒ men我们zài在shēng huó生活zhōng中，qí shí其实hěn很nán难bì miǎn避免zhè zhǒng这种gǎn jué感觉。

In life, it is actually hard to avoid this feeling.

tè bié特别shì是zài在wǒ men我们duì对mǒu某jiàn件shì事jì tuō寄托le了hěn很dà大xī wàng希望de的shí hòu时候，shī wàng失望dài lái带来de的dǎ jī打击yě也huì会yuè越dà大。

Especially when we place great hope in something, the blow brought by disappointment will be even greater.

zhè shí hòu这时候，zhōu wéi周围de的rén人kě néng可能huì会quàn劝nǐ你shuō说：“bú yào不要huī xīn灰心，zhèn zuò振作qǐ lái起来。”

At this time, people around you might advise: "Don't lose heart, cheer up."

dàn但wǒ men我们dōu都zhī dào知道，yào要bǎ把lěng què冷却de的huī jìn灰烬chóng xīn重新diǎn rán点燃，shì是xū yào需要shí jiān时间de的。

But we all know that it takes time to reignite cooled ashes.

zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语suī rán虽然tīng qǐ lái听起来yǒu xiē有些xiāo jí消极，dàn但tā它qí shí其实fēi cháng非常zhēn shí真实。

Although this idiom sounds a bit negative, it is actually very real.

tā它tí xǐng提醒wǒ men我们，rén人de的néng liàng能量bú shì不是wú xiàn无限de的。

It reminds us that human energy is not infinite.

dāng当wǒ men我们gǎn dào感到“huī xīn sàng qì灰心丧气”shí时，yě xǔ也许shì是shēn tǐ身体hé和xīn lǐ心理zài在fā chū发出xìn hào信号：tā它zài在gào sù告诉nǐ你，xiàn zài现在de的huǒ火miè灭le了，nǐ你xū yào需要tíng xià lái停下来xiū xī休息yī huì er一会儿，ér而bú shì不是qiǎng pò强迫zì jǐ自己lì kè立刻chóng xīn重新rán shāo燃烧。

When we feel 灰心丧气, perhaps the body and mind are sending a signal: it is telling you that the current fire is out, and you need to stop and rest for a while, rather than forcing yourself to burn again immediately.

xià cì下次，dāng当nǐ你huò zhě或者nǐ你de的péng yǒu朋友gǎn dào感到zhè zhǒng这种shēn shēn深深de的wú lì gǎn无力感shí时，nǐ你kě yǐ可以shì zhe试着lǐ jiě理解zhè zhǒng这种“xīn rú sǐ huī心如死灰”de的gǎn jué感觉。

Next time, when you or your friend feels this deep sense of powerlessness, you can try to understand this feeling of being like dead wood and cold ashes.

chéng rèn承认zì jǐ自己cǐ kè此刻shì是“huī xīn sàng qì灰心丧气”de的，qí shí其实yě也shì是yī zhǒng一种chéng shí诚实。

Admitting that you are 灰心丧气 at this moment is actually a form of honesty.

bì jìng毕竟，zhǐ yǒu只有chéng rèn承认huǒ火miè灭le了，wǒ men我们cái néng才能jìng静xià下xīn lái心来，qù去xún zhǎo寻找xīn新de的huǒ zhǒng火种。

After all, only by admitting the fire is out can we calm down and look for new tinder.

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