想不开 (xiǎng bú) — to take things too seriously, to dwell on the negative; to be unable to see the bright side
Definition
Refers to a person (not a situation) — someone who can't get over a setback and keeps brooding. The opposite is 想得开: able to let go and see the bright side.
verb
to take things too seriouslyto dwell on the negativeto be unable to see the bright side
Examples
- 想不开，。Tā zǒng shì wèi yì diǎn xiǎo shì xiǎng bú, huó dé tè bié lèi.She always takes small things too hard and lives very tired.
- ，想不开。Rén shēng nán miǎn yǒu cuò zhé, bié tài xiǎng bú.Life inevitably has setbacks — don't take them too much to heart.
- 想不开，。Tā yīn wèi méi kǎo shàng dà xué yì zhí xiǎng bú, jiā rén hěn dān xīn.He's been dwelling on not getting into university, and his family is very worried.
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