愤怒

• Pinyin: fèn nù
• Hanzi breakdown: 愤 = 忄(heart) + 贲 (phonetic) — resentment in the heart; 怒 = 奴 (slave) + 心 (heart) — emotion of a constrained heart

Meaning

Angry; furious; indignant. A strong feeling of displeasure or hostility.

A formal and literary word for intense anger, stronger than 生气 (angry). Used to describe righteous anger, outrage at injustice, or deep fury. Common collocations: 愤怒的眼神 (furious gaze), 压抑愤怒 (suppress anger), 民众的愤怒 (public outrage). Can function as both adjective and noun.

Examples

1. 看到不公正的事情发生，他无法压抑内心的愤怒。 Seeing injustice happen, he couldn't suppress the anger inside him.
2. 她愤怒地摔门而去，留下满屋子的尴尬。 She furiously slammed the door and left, leaving an awkward silence in the room.
3. 民众对腐败官员的愤怒最终引发了大规模抗议。 The public's fury at corrupt officials eventually sparked large-scale protests.

Usage Guide

Context: emotions, conflict, literature

Tone: intense

Do Say

• 他的愤怒是可以理解的。(His anger is understandable.)
• 愤怒解决不了问题，冷静下来再说。(Anger won't solve the problem — calm down first.)

Don't Say

• 日常小事用愤怒形容 (Don't use 愤怒 for everyday annoyances — it's too strong; use 生气 or 不高兴 instead)

Origin & History

Compound of 愤 (indignant, resentful) + 怒 (angry). Both characters contain the heart radical 忄/心, indicating emotions.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal