气愤

• Pinyin: qì fèn
• Hanzi breakdown: 气 = 气 (breath/energy/anger); 愤 = 忄(heart) + 贲 (surge/swell) (indignant — heart surging)

Meaning

Indignant; furious; filled with intense anger, especially at injustice or unreasonable behaviour.

Stronger than 生气 but not as extreme as 暴怒. Often carries a sense of moral outrage. Used in both formal written contexts and everyday speech. Collocates with 感到气愤 (to feel indignant) and 气愤填膺 (burning with indignation).

Examples

1. 看到弱势群体遭受不公正对待，她感到无比气愤，当即拍案而起。 Seeing vulnerable people treated unfairly, she was furious and immediately slammed the table as she stood up.
2. 他因被无辜指责而气愤不已，却仍努力克制情绪，以理性和事实应对。 He was outraged at being blamed for something he didn’t do, yet he still worked hard to keep his emotions in check and respond with reason and facts.
3. 这一腐败案件曝光后，民众普遍感到气愤，纷纷要求严惩相关责任人。 After this corruption case was exposed, the public was widely outraged and demanded harsh punishment for those responsible.

Usage Guide

Context: emotions, justice, society

Tone: indignant

Do Say

• 面对无理的指责，他内心气愤，却选择以证据说话，而非情绪发泄。(Faced with unreasonable accusations, he was inwardly furious, yet chose to let the evidence speak rather than vent his emotions.)
• 不公正的裁判结果令全场观众感到气愤，现场随即爆发出强烈的抗议声浪。(The unjust referee decision left the entire audience furious, with a powerful wave of protest erupting at the venue.)

Don't Say

• 我气愤这个游戏太难 — 气愤 implies moral or social injustice; use 沮丧/郁闷 for frustration with impersonal challenges

Origin & History

气 (spirit/emotion/anger) + 愤 (indignant/resentful) — spirit surging with resentment

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal