窝心 (wō xīn) — (v.o.) to feel upset, wronged, or disappointed… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

窝心 (wōxīn) means feeling hurt and let down because of unfair treatment — a sulky, sulk-like upset rather than plain sadness. It implies the person feels wronged, not just disappointed.

verb

(v.o.) to feel upsetwrongedor disappointed (due to unfair treatment)to harbor grievances

Examples

，。
Tā shòu le wěi qu, wō le yí dù zi xīn.
He suffered grievances and harbored a bellyful of upset.
窝心。
Zhè jiàn shì ràng tā hěn wō xīn.
This matter made him very upset.
窝心，。
Bié zài wō xīn le, xiǎng kāi diǎn.
Don't be upset anymore; try to look on the bright side.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

窝wōnest/harbor

Grievances that 窝 (nest) in the 心 (heart).

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 窩; 窝 is its simplified writing.

穴咼窩

Meaning part形符xíngfú

穴穴xuécave

Sound part声符shēngfú

咼

咼wāi窩wō

Same sound today

The traditional form 窩 uses 穴, a cave, for meaning and 咼 for sound; the simplified 窝 is a later shorthand.

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

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Appears in

Emotions & Feelings

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