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扫兴 (sǎo xìng) — (adjective) disappointing, disheartening, dampening one's spirits; (also a separable verb) to spoil the fun, to be a spoilsport

Definition

Used as both an adjective ('disappointing, a buzzkill') and a separable verb (扫…兴, 'to spoil someone's fun'). Pairs with 让 or 真 to describe a situation that kills the mood, while 泄气 focuses on someone losing heart.

adjective
disappointingdishearteningdampening one's spirits(also a separable verb) to spoil the funto be a spoilsport

Examples

  • ，。
    Bié sǎo dà jiā de xīng, yì qǐ qù chàng gē ba.
    Don't spoil everyone's fun; let's go sing karaoke together.
  • ，扫兴。
    Zhè cì lǚ xíng yīn wèi tiān qì bù hǎo, zhēn sǎo xìng.
    This trip was really disappointing because of the bad weather.
  • ，扫兴。
    Tā lín shí qǔ xiāo yuē huì, ràng dà jiā hěn sǎo xìng.
    He canceled the date at the last minute, which really dampened everyone's spirits.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

扫sǎosweep away
兴xīnginterest

扫 (sweep away) and 兴 (interest) combine to mean spoiling one's mood.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 掃; 扫 is its simplified writing.

The form 掃 draws a hand with a broomstick, the thing used for sweeping.

Open 扫 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 興; 兴 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 興 shows four hands lifting an object; the simplified 兴 is not the form described.

Open 兴 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Emotions & Feelings

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