发脾气

• Pinyin: fā pí qi
• Hanzi breakdown: 发 = 弓 + 殳 — to release, vent; 脾 = 月/肉 (flesh/organ radical) + 卑 (low/humble) — the spleen, associated in Chinese medicine with emotional regulation; 气 = pictograph of rising vapour — breath, energy, emotional energy

Meaning

To lose one's temper; to throw a tantrum; to give vent to anger. To express bad temper through words or behaviour.

More colloquial than 发火 and often implies a somewhat less controlled, even childish, outburst. Frequently appears in parenting, relationship, and workplace contexts. Common pattern: 对...发脾气 (to lose one's temper at someone).

Examples

1. 他习惯于在压力最大的时候对身边最亲近的人发脾气，这一模式已经严重影响了他的家庭关系。 He has a habit of taking his anger out on the people closest to him when he’s under the most pressure, and this pattern has seriously damaged his family relationships.
2. 孩子在超市里因为没买到想要的玩具而大发脾气，年轻的父母既尴尬又不知所措。 At the supermarket, the child threw a major tantrum because he didn’t get the toy he wanted, leaving the young parents both embarrassed and at a loss.
3. 职场心理学研究表明，频繁向下属发脾气的管理者不仅无法提升团队效率，反而会显著增加员工的离职率。 Workplace psychology research shows that managers who frequently lose their temper at subordinates not only fail to improve team efficiency, but also significantly increase employee turnover.

Usage Guide

Context: family, parenting, workplace, interpersonal

Tone: critical

Do Say

• 无论压力多大，向同事或下属发脾气都很不专业。(No matter how great the pressure, losing one's temper at colleagues or subordinates is unprofessional.)
• 她意识到自己长期以来总是把工作上的挫败感带回家，对家人发脾气，于是决定主动寻求心理咨询，学习更健康、更有建设性的情绪疏导方式。(She realised that she had long been bringing the frustrations of work home and losing her temper with her family, so she decided to proactively seek psychological counselling to learn healthier and more constructive ways of managing her emotions.)

Don't Say

• 他脾气发了很多 — 发脾气 is a verb-object compound and is not quantifiable with 很多; say 他大发脾气 or 他频繁地对别人发脾气 for correct phrasing

Origin & History

发 (to release/give vent to) + 脾气 (temper/disposition) — to release one's bad temper outward

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal