愤愤不平 (fèn fèn bù píng) — to be very indignant; to feel deeply aggrieved and resentful

Definition

A set phrase meaning 'to feel indignant and deeply wronged' — a stronger, more literary reaction than simply 生气 or 不满, used when the speaker believes unfairness must be challenged.

verb
to be very indignantto feel deeply aggrieved and resentful
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，愤愤不平。
    Tīng dào zhè ge bù gōng píng de jué dìng, dà jiā dōu gǎn dào fèn fèn bù píng.
    Everyone felt very indignant upon hearing this unfair decision.
  • 愤愤不平，。
    Tā yīn wèi bèi wù huì ér fèn fèn bù píng, hǎo jǐ tiān dū bù shuō huà.
    He felt deeply wronged after being misunderstood and didn't speak for days.
  • 愤愤不平。
    Dú zhě duì shū zhōng miáo xiě de bù gōng xiàn xiàng fèn fèn bù píng.
    Readers were indignant about the injustices depicted in the book.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

愤愤angry
愤fènanger愤fènanger
重叠Reduplication
不平unfair
不bùnot平píngfair
偏正Modifier + head

愤愤 and 不平 both express indignation, giving a deeply aggrieved feeling.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 憤; 愤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
賁
賁bì憤fèn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 憤 pairs 忄 (heart) with 賁, which gives the sound; the simplified 愤 is a later shorthand.

Open 愤 →

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 憤; 愤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
賁
賁bì憤fèn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 憤 pairs 忄 (heart) with 賁, which gives the sound; the simplified 愤 is a later shorthand.

Open 愤 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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

The origin is uncertain. One explanation combines 八 (division) and 亏 (exhaled air) to show smooth speech.

Open 平 →

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