扫兴

• Pinyin: sǎo xìng
• Hanzi breakdown: 扫 = 扌(hand) + 帚 (broom) = to sweep away, eliminate; 兴 = originally depicted raised hands in joy = enthusiasm, high spirits — 扫兴 = to sweep away one's high spirits

Meaning

To dampen enthusiasm; to spoil the mood; to be a killjoy. The act or result of ruining anticipated pleasure or excitement.

Frequently used as a predicate adjective (真扫兴 = how disappointing) or verb (别扫我的兴 = don't spoil my mood). Can describe both situations (rain ruining a picnic) and people (a killjoy). Opposite of 助兴 (to enliven the atmosphere) or 尽兴 (to enjoy oneself to the full).

Examples

1. 好不容易计划了这次郊游，结果临行前突然下起大雨，大家都觉得十分扫兴，只好改期再行。 We finally managed to plan this outing, but it suddenly started raining right before we left, and everyone felt completely disappointed, so we had to postpone it.
2. 他说话总是不合时宜，在最热闹的聚会上大谈悲观话题，令在场众人兴致全无，真是大煞风景又极为扫兴。 He always says the wrong thing at the wrong time; at the liveliest parties he goes on and on about gloomy topics and kills the mood for everyone—really a total buzzkill.
3. 明明是庆功宴，经理却在席间大篇幅提及下一季度的业绩压力，让原本欢快的氛围顿时变得十分扫兴。 It was supposed to be a celebration dinner, but the manager spent a long time talking about next quarter’s performance pressure, and the cheerful atmosphere instantly turned sour.

Usage Guide

Context: social, leisure, everyday speech, emotions

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 原本期待已久的演唱会因主办方技术问题临时取消，所有购票观众无不感到极为扫兴，纷纷在网上表达不满情绪。(The long-awaited concert was suddenly cancelled due to technical issues on the organiser's side, and all ticketed audience members felt deeply let down, expressing their dissatisfaction online.)
• 她好不容易鼓起勇气向大家分享自己的创业计划，没想到几位同事的否定性评论让她觉得十分扫兴，一度想要放弃整个想法。(She had finally worked up the courage to share her start-up plan with everyone, but some colleagues' dismissive comments left her deeply discouraged, and she briefly considered abandoning the whole idea.)

Don't Say

• 这场电影扫兴了很多 — 扫兴 is not quantifiable with 很多; use 令人十分扫兴 or 大煞风景 instead; 扫兴 is stative/resultative, not a degree-modified verb

Origin & History

扫 = 扌(hand) + 帚 (broom) = to sweep away; 兴 = raised hands in celebration = enthusiasm, joy — to sweep away one's high spirits

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal