Definition
过敏 (guòmǐn) has two meanings: a medical allergy (to substances like peanuts) and a figurative oversensitivity (to words or actions). 多心 (duōxīn) means 'oversensitive' only in the sense of being overly suspicious or taking things personally — it never refers to physical allergies. Use 过敏 for both biological reactions and emotional touchiness; use 多心 when someone misinterprets harmless remarks as personal attacks.
verb
to be allergic (to something)(figurative) oversensitivetouchy
Easily confused
- 国民guó mínsound-alike(noun) national, citizen; the people of a country
Examples
- 过敏。Wǒ duì huāshēng guò mǐn.I am allergic to peanuts.
- 过敏。Tā róngyì duì yàowù guò mǐn.He is prone to allergic reactions to medication.
- 过敏,。Nǐ bié tài guò mǐn le, tā zhǐshì kāi gè wánxiào.Don't be so oversensitive; he was just joking.
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