Definition
This is a fixed four-character idiom meaning 'to let emotions drive decisions or actions, rather than reason.' It carries a slightly negative tone — you use it to criticize someone for being impulsive or letting feelings cloud their judgment. The literal breakdown ('emotion-using-matter') doesn't reveal the meaning, so treat it as a set phrase rather than parsing it word by word.
f.e.
to act impetuouslyto be swayed by one's emotionsto let feelings override reason
Examples
- ，感情用事。Zhè jiàn shì hěn zhòngyào, nǐ bùnéng gǎn qíng yòng shì.This matter is very important; you can't act on emotion.
- 感情用事，。Tā shuōhuà de shíhou zǒngshì gǎn qíng yòng shì, jīngcháng dézuì rén.He always speaks emotionally, often offending people.
- 感情用事，。Jīnglǐ pīpíng tā gǎn qíng yòng shì, méiyǒu kǎolǜ gōngsī de lìyì.The manager criticized him for acting on emotion without considering the company's interests.
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