Meaning of 生气
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to get angry; to be furious
- vitality; liveliness
How to use 生气
生气 is the everyday word for getting angry or being upset, and it works as a verb or with 很 as a description. To say you are angry at someone, use 生 + person + 的气 or 对 + person + 生气. Example: 你别生我的气。(Nǐ bié shēng wǒ de qì.) Don't be angry with me.
生 (shēng) means to produce or give rise to, and 气 (qì) means air or breath. When anger rises up inside you, it is like hot air being produced in your chest, so 生气 means to get angry.
Common mistake: Learners often say 我生气你 to mean "I am angry at you," but 生气 does not take a direct object. Say 我生你的气 or 我对你生气 instead.
生气 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
生 shēng · to grow · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
气 qì · gas · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 生气.
| 先生 | xiānsheng | teacher; gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.) |
| 医生 | yīshēng | doctor; medical practitioner |
| 学生 | xuéshēng | student; schoolchild |
| 生日 | shēngrì | birthday |
| 生病 | shēngbìng | to fall ill |
| 女生 | nǚshēng | schoolgirl; female student |
| 天气 | tiānqì | weather |
| 男生 | nánshēng | schoolboy; male student |
| 大学生 | dàxuéshēng | university student; college student |
| 小学生 | xiǎoxuéshēng | primary school student; schoolchild |
| 中学生 | zhōngxuéshēng | middle-school student; high school student |
| 不客气 | bù kèqì | you're welcome; don't mention it |
Questions about 生气
What does 生气 mean?
生气 (shēngqì) means "to get angry; to be furious; vitality; liveliness".
How do you write 生气?
生气 is made of 2 characters: 生 (5 strokes), 气 (4 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 生气 an HSK word?
Yes. 生气 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 生气 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 生气 is written 生氣.
Can 生气 mean something other than angry?
Yes. As a noun it can mean vitality or liveliness, as in 充满生气 (chōngmǎn shēngqì), full of life. This sense is more common in writing, while the angry meaning dominates in speech.
What is the difference between 生气 and 愤怒?
生气 is the common, neutral word you use every day, from mild annoyance to real anger. 愤怒 (fènnù) is stronger and more formal, closer to fury or outrage, and appears more in writing and news.