When You Feel Crushed, Use “心塞(xīnsāi)” in Mandarin

Zhāng Qíng: Xiàzhōu jiùyào qīmòkǎoshì le!
张晴：           下周      就要    期末考试  了！
Zhang Qing: We will have the final exam next week!

Lǐ Chéng: Shìya. Nǐ fùxí de zěnmeyàng le?
李成：     是呀。你复习得 怎么样    了？
Li Cheng: Yeah. How’s your preparation going?

Zhāng Qíng: Hái méi kāishǐ fùxí.
张晴：          还   没   开始  复习。
Zhang Qing: I haven’t begun to prepare yet.

Lǐ Chéng: Wǒ yě yíyàng. Gūjì yòuyào guàkē le, hǎo xīnsāi ya!
李成：     我  也  一样。 估计又要   挂科 了，好 心塞   呀！
Li Cheng: Me neither. I might fail again. It sucks!

“心塞(xīnsāi)” has become a popular buzzword these days. Here “心(xīn)” is “heart” and “塞(sāi)” means blocked or plugged, so put together, “心塞(xīnsāi)” is used to vividly describe a kind of emotion in which your heart seems to be suffocated or blocked up and uncomfortable. If something goes wrong and you are left feeling helpless or speechless, you can say that you feel “心塞(xīnsāi)”.

Examples:

Wǒ nánpéngyou shuō wǒ zuò de fàn hěn nánchī, xīnsāi!
我   男朋友            说    我  做  的  饭   很    难吃，心塞！
My boyfriend said my cooking is terrible, so I feel horrible!

Zhège zhōumò yòuyào jiābān, hǎo xīnsāi ā!
这个    周末       又要    加班，  好   心塞 啊！
It sucks! I have to work again this weekend!

For example, your mood could be described as “心塞(xīnsāi)” when the weekend finally comes and you have big, exciting plans, but it ends up pouring down rain and you’ve no choice but to cancel. Or you are all dressed up for your date but a car drives through a puddle and splashes mud all over you. Your feeling at that moment is “心塞(xīnsāi).” Or your boss remarks that your proposal, for which you have stayed up working on for several nights, is of no use, so your frustration can also be described as “心塞(xīnsāi)”.

Examples:

Lín Míng: Lǐ Jìng, nǐ jīntiān zěnme chídào le?
林明：     李静， 你今天   怎么    迟到   了？
Lin Ming: Li Jing, why are you late today?

Lǐ Jìng: Lùshang dǔchē, hǎo xīnsāi!
李静： 路上      堵车，  好  心塞！
Li Jing: I got stuck in a traffic jam. How terrible!

Wáng Liàng: Zhāng chén, nǐ zài zhǎo shénme?
王亮：            张晨，        你 在  找     什么？
Wang Liang: Zhang Chen, what are you looking for?

Zhāng Chén: Xīnsāi, wǒde shēnfènzhèng bújiàn le.
张晨：           心塞，我的      身份证      不见   了。
Zhang Chen: Oh crap, I can’t find my ID card.

1. The buzzword “心塞(xīnsāi)” can be used to describe all of the following emotions except_____.
A. Feeling terrible
B. Frustration
C. Satisfaction
2. When can you say you feel “心塞(xīnsāi)”?
A. When you run into an old friend at the supermarket.
B. When you find a wallet on the sidewalk on your way home.
C. When you hurry to the bus station only to find that the bus has just departed.