消沉

• Pinyin: xiāo chén
• Hanzi breakdown: 消 = 氵+ 肖 (fading/diminishing); 沉 = 氵+ 冘 (sinking in water)

Meaning

Depressed; despondent; in a state of low spirits or diminished vitality.

Describes a sustained mood of dejection and loss of drive. Stronger than 难过 and implies a prolonged emotional slump. Common in literary and psychological contexts. Often collocates with 情绪 (mood/emotions).

Examples

1. 连续几次失败的经历让他情绪消沉，一度对未来失去了信心。 A string of failures left him downcast, and for a time he lost confidence in the future.
2. 失业之后，他整日消沉，不愿与任何人交流。 After losing his job, he was depressed all day and didn’t want to talk to anyone.
3. 老人在老伴离世后愈发消沉，家人非常担心他的精神状态。 After his wife passed away, the elderly man grew increasingly despondent, and his family was very worried about his mental state.

Usage Guide

Context: psychology, emotion, literature

Tone: empathetic

Do Say

• 经历重大挫折后，许多人会陷入一段消沉期，需要给予足够的时间与空间。(After a major setback, many people fall into a period of despondency and need sufficient time and space to recover.)
• 她的情绪一直很消沉，朋友们都劝她寻求专业的心理辅导。(Her spirits have been very low — friends have been encouraging her to seek professional psychological counselling.)

Don't Say

• 这部电影很消沉 — use 压抑 or 沉重 to describe the tone of a film; 消沉 describes a person's emotional state, not external content

Origin & History

消 (diminish/disappear) + 沉 (sink/heavy) — spirits sinking and fading away

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal