悲 bēi — sad; sadness; sorrow; grief
这部电影的结局有点儿悲伤。Zhè bù diàn yǐng de jié jú yǒu diǎnr bēi shāng.The ending of this movie is a bit sad.
Common words: 悲剧 (bēi jù)、悲伤 (bēi shāng)、悲观 (bēi guān)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "sad"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "sad", including 悲 (bēi), 悄 (qiǎo / qiāo), 悠 (yōu), 慨 (kǎi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "sad" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 悲 (bēi), 悄 (qiǎo / qiāo), 悠 (yōu), 慨 (kǎi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span bēi, qiǎo, qiāo, yōu, kǎi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 悲 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 悲 bēisad; sadness; sorrow; griefUseful words: 悲剧, 悲伤
- 悄 qiǎo / qiāoquiet; sadUseful words: 悄悄, 悄然
- 悠 yōuat ease; long (in time); sadUseful words: 悠久, 转悠
- 慨 kǎigenerous; sadUseful words: 慷慨, 感慨
Common words for these 4 "sad" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 悲 (bēi) — so "sad" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
悲剧bēi jùtragedy悲伤bēi shāngsad; sorrowful悲观bēi guānpessimistic悄悄qiāo qiāoquiet; making little or no noise; surreptitious; stealthy悄然qiǎo ránquietly; sorrowfully悄声qiǎo shēngquietly; in a low voice悠久yōu jiǔlong (tradition, history etc)转悠zhuàn youto roll; to wander around; to appear repeatedly忽悠hū youto rock; to sway; to flicker (e.g. of lights reflected on water); to flutter (e.g. of a flag)慷慨kāng kǎivehement; fervent; generous; magnanimous
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "sad".
悄 qiǎo / qiāo — quiet; sad
他悄悄地走进了房间，没有惊动任何人。Tā qiāo qiāo de zǒu jìn le fáng jiān, méi yǒu jīng dòng rèn hé rén.He quietly walked into the room without disturbing anyone.
Common words: 悄悄 (qiāo qiāo)、悄然 (qiǎo rán)、悄声 (qiǎo shēng)
悠 yōu — at ease; long (in time); sad
中国有着悠久的历史和文化。Zhōng guó yǒu zhe yōu jiǔ de lì shǐ hé wén huà.China has a long history and culture.
Common words: 悠久 (yōu jiǔ)、转悠 (zhuàn you)、忽悠 (hū you)
慨 kǎi — generous; sad
望着家乡的变化，老人感慨万千。Wàng zhe jiā xiāng de biàn huà, lǎo rén gǎn kǎi wàn qiān.Looking at the changes in his hometown, the old man sighed with deep emotion.
Common words: 慷慨 (kāng kǎi)、感慨 (gǎn kǎi)、慨叹 (kǎi tàn)
All 4 characters
Open 悲、悄、悠 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.