adjective HSK 2
Traditional 不開心
unhappy · upset · not happy
Meaning
不开心 literally means 'not open heart' and describes a state of being unhappy, upset, or in a bad mood. It's the straightforward negation of 开心 (happy), expressing mild to moderate negative feelings rather than deep sadness or depression.
Usage
This is an extremely common everyday expression used in casual conversation to describe feeling down, annoyed, or disappointed. It's more colloquial than 不高兴 (bù gāo xìng) and less severe than 难过 (nán guò). Often used when complaining about something or explaining why someone is in a bad mood.
Examples
- 01他今天看起来很不开心。.He looks very unhappy today.
- 02别不开心了，我们去吃好吃的吧。, .Don't be unhappy anymore, let's go eat something delicious.
Characters
Common collocations
- 很不开心very unhappy
- 有点不开心a bit unhappy
- 让人不开心to make someone unhappy
Antonyms
Origin
The phrase builds on 开心 (literally 'open heart'), which has long been used metaphorically for happiness in Chinese. Adding the negation 不 creates the opposite meaning.