Meaning
恶心 describes the feeling of nausea or disgust. It can refer to physical nausea (wanting to vomit) or psychological disgust (finding something revolting or morally repulsive). In colloquial speech, it's commonly used to express that something is gross, disgusting, or morally offensive.
Usage
恶心 is very common in everyday speech. When describing physical nausea, it's often used as a verb (我恶心 = I feel nauseous). When expressing disgust about something or someone, it functions as an adjective (真恶心 = really disgusting). Note the pronunciation: third tone + neutral tone, NOT è xīn. Young people frequently use it casually to criticize unethical behavior or annoying people.
Examples
- 01我晕车，感到很恶心。, .I get carsick and feel very nauseous.
- 02他的行为真恶心，欺骗了那么多人。, .His behavior is really disgusting; he deceived so many people.
Characters
Common collocations
- 感到恶心to feel nauseous
- 恶心死了disgusting to death, super gross
- 真恶心really disgusting
- 让人恶心makes people feel sick/disgusted
Antonyms
Origin
The character 恶 here means 'bad' or 'nauseating,' while 心 refers to the heart or inner feelings. Together they literally mean 'bad heart/feeling,' describing the uncomfortable sensation of nausea or disgust.