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感情用事 (gǎn qíng yòng shì) — to act impetuously; to be swayed by one's emotions; to let feelings override reason

Definition

Negative idiom: 'to let emotions override reason' when making decisions or speaking. Implies the person is being irrational and impulsive, not just feeling strongly.

idiom
to act impetuouslyto be swayed by one's emotionsto let feelings override reason

Examples

  • ，感情用事。
    Zhè jiàn shì hěn zhòng yào, nǐ bù néng gǎn qíng yòng shì.
    This matter is very important; you can't act on emotion.
  • 感情用事，。
    Tā shuō huà de shí hou zǒng shì gǎn qíng yòng shì, jīng cháng dé zuì rén.
    He always speaks emotionally, often offending people.
  • 感情用事，。
    Jīng lǐ pī píng tā gǎn qíng yòng shì, méi yǒu kǎo lǜ gōng sī de lì yì.
    The manager criticized him for acting on emotion without considering the company's interests.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

感情emotions
感gǎnfeeling情qíngemotion
联合Coordinate
用事handle affairs
用yònguse事shìaffairs
动宾Verb + object

感情 'emotions' and 用事 'handle affairs' together picture emotions steering one's actions.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
咸
咸xián感gǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

感 pairs 咸, which gives the sound, with 心, the heart, for feeling.

Open 感 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng情qíng
Same sound today

情 shows 心 (heart) beside 青, which gives the sound. The heart part points to feelings and inner states.

Open 情 →

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

用 was formed by adding a handle to an earlier form.

Open 用 →

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

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.

Open 事 →
Appears in
Emotions & FeelingsIdioms & Set Phrases

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