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郁闷 (yù mèn) — gloomy, depressed, frustrated (often from being stuck in an unpleasant situation)

Definition

Everyday word for feeling low and frustrated, usually because a specific situation is stuck or annoying. Stronger/more colloquial than 忧郁 (quiet melancholy); less clinical than 抑郁.

adjective
gloomydepressedfrustrated (often from being stuck in an unpleasant situation)

Examples

  • ，郁闷。
    Jīn tiān xià yǔ bù néng chū qù wán, zhēn yù mèn.
    It's raining today and I can't go out — so frustrating.
  • ，郁闷。
    Tā zuì jìn gōng zuò bú shùn, xīn qíng hěn yù mèn.
    He's been having trouble at work lately and feels very depressed.
  • 郁闷，。
    Bié yù mèn le, chū qù zǒu zǒu jiù hǎo le.
    Don't be so down — go out for a walk and you'll feel better.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

郁yùdepressed
闷mēnstuffy

郁 (depressed) and 闷 (stuffy) both convey a heavy, gloomy 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 鬱; 郁 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 鬱 shows 林 (forest), 大 (standing person), and 勹 (leaning person), with people hiding in a lush forest; the simplified 郁 is a later abbreviation.

Open 郁 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 悶; 闷 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
門
門mén悶mēn
Same sound today

The traditional form 悶 has 門 as a sound part and 心 as a meaning part; the simplified 闷 is a later shorthand.

Open 闷 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Emotions & FeelingsMental Health5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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