激动 meaning in English

jīdòng

to move emotionally; to stir up (emotions)

HSK 4adjectiveverbTraditional 激動22 strokes

Meaning of 激动

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

jīdòng

to move emotionally
to stir up (emotions)
to excite

How to use 激动

激动 describes strong feelings rising up, often joy or nervous excitement, but it can also mean agitated or upset. It is used as an adjective after 很 or 非常, or as a verb meaning to stir someone's feelings. Example: 听到这个好消息，她激动得哭了。(Tīngdào zhège hǎo xiāoxi, tā jīdòng de kū le.) When she heard the good news, she was so excited she cried.

激 (jī) means to stir up, like water splashing hard, and 动 (dòng) means to move. When your feelings are splashed and set in motion, you are 激动 (jīdòng), excited or emotionally stirred.

Common mistake: Learners often mix up 激动 with 感动 (gǎndòng). 感动 means touched or moved by someone's kindness. 激动 is about strong, stirred-up emotion in general, so 我很激动 does not mean someone's kindness moved you.

激动 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

他tā越yuè激jī动dòng就jiù越yuè安ān静jìng。

The more excited he gets, the quieter he becomes.

汤tāng姆mǔ为wèi去qù音yīn乐yuè会huì而ér激jī动dòng。

Tom was excited to go to the concert.

我wǒ奇qí怪guài为wèi甚shén么me汤tāng姆mǔ那nà么me激jī动dòng。

I wonder why Tom is so excited.

我wǒ激jī动dòng得de睡shuì不bù着zhe。

I'm too excited to sleep.

麦mài格gé激jī动dòng不bù已yǐ。

Meg is filled with excitement.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

激 jī · to arouse · 16 strokes

动 dòng · to move · 6 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 激动.

动作	dòngzuò	movement; motion; action; to act; to move
行动	xíngdòng	operation; action
动物	dòngwù	animal
活动	huódòng	to exercise; to move about; to work out; shaky; unsteady; loose (tooth etc)
运动	yùndòng	to move; to exercise
感动	gǎndòng	to move (sb); to touch (sb emotionally)
动物园	dòngwùyuán	zoo
发动	fādòng	to start; to launch
自动	zìdòng	automatic; voluntarily
主动	zhǔdòng	to take the initiative; to do sth of one's own accord
动力	dònglì	motive power; (fig.) motivation; impetus
推动	tuīdòng	to push (e.g. for acceptance of a plan); to promote; to give impetus to

Questions about 激动

What does 激动 mean?

激动 (jīdòng) means "to move emotionally; to stir up (emotions)" and is used as a adjective and verb.

How do you write 激动?

激动 is made of 2 characters: 激 (16 strokes), 动 (6 strokes). That is 22 strokes in total.

Is 激动 an HSK word?

Yes. 激动 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 激动 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 激动 is written 激動.

What is the difference between 激动 and 兴奋 (xīngfèn)?

兴奋 is usually happy, energetic excitement, like before a trip. 激动 is stronger emotional agitation and can be positive or negative, such as being worked up in an argument.

How do you tell someone to calm down using 激动?

You can say 别激动 (bié jīdòng), meaning don't get worked up or calm down. It is commonly used when someone is upset or angry.