心灰意冷

xīnhuī-yìlěng

idiom #29,802

Meanings

HSK 3

她对这段感情心灰意冷，决定离开。

Tā duì zhè duàn gǎnqíng xīnhuī-yìlěng, juédìng líkāi.

She became disillusioned with the relationship and decided to leave.

HSK 7-9

屡次失败让他心灰意冷。

Lǚcì shībài ràng tā xīnhuī-yìlěng.

Repeated failures left him completely discouraged.

memory

灰 means ash (grey, cold) and 冷 means cold. When your heart turns to ash and your will goes cold - that is 心灰意冷. The temperature metaphor is powerful.

心 xīn

灰 huī

意 yì

冷 lěng