忿忿不平 (fèn fèn bù píng) — indignant; resentful; aggrieved (variant of 愤愤不平)

Definition

A set phrase meaning 'indignant and resentful' about unfair treatment — the variant spelling of 愤愤不平, with no difference in meaning. Used like an adjective, often before 地 before a verb (忿忿不平地说).

verb
indignantresentfulaggrieved (variant of 愤愤不平)
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，忿忿不平。
    Tīng dào zhè ge bù gōng de jué dìng, tā fèn fèn bù píng.
    Upon hearing this unfair decision, he became indignant.
  • 忿忿不平，。
    Yuán gōng duì gōng sī de dài yù fèn fèn bù píng, fēn fēn tí chū kàng yì.
    The employees were indignant about the company's treatment and protested one after another.
  • 忿忿不平，。
    Tā fèn fèn bù píng dì xiě le yì fēng cháng xìn, biǎo dá zì jǐ de bù mǎn.
    She wrote a long letter indignantly, expressing her dissatisfaction.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

忿忿angry
忿fènangry忿fènangry
重叠Reduplication
不平indignant; not level
不bùnot平pínglevel; calm
偏正Modifier + head

The anger of 忿 and the resentment of 不平 give an aggrieved, indignant feeling.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 忿 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 忿 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The origin is uncertain. One explanation combines 八 (division) and 亏 (exhaled air) to show smooth speech.

Open 平 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.