恶心

• Pinyin: ě xin
• Hanzi breakdown: 恶 = 亚 (secondary) + 心 (heart), simplified from 惡; 心 = pictograph of a heart

Meaning

Disgusting; nauseous; revolting. Feeling sick to one's stomach or finding something repulsive.

Used both physically (feeling nauseous, wanting to vomit) and emotionally (finding something morally disgusting or repulsive). As a verb it means to disgust someone: 别恶心我 (don't gross me out). Very common in casual conversation.

Examples

1. 闻到那个味道我就觉得恶心。 I feel nauseous just smelling that odour.
2. 这部电影有些画面看了让人恶心。 Some scenes in this film are revolting to watch.
3. 她吃坏了东西，一直觉得恶心想吐。 She ate something bad and has been feeling nauseous and wanting to vomit.

Usage Guide

Context: health, everyday

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 我有点恶心，可能是吃坏东西了。(I feel a bit nauseous — maybe I ate something bad.)
• 这个东西太恶心了。(This thing is really disgusting.)

Don't Say

• 在正式场合用'恶心'描述不满 (Don't use 恶心 in formal situations to express displeasure — it's very colloquial and blunt; use 不舒服 for physical discomfort or 令人不悦 for displeasure)

Origin & History

Compound of 恶 (bad, evil, to dislike) and 心 (heart). Literally 'bad feeling in the heart,' describing physical or emotional revulsion.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal