emo

yīěmōu
adjective

Meanings

  1. 1 feeling down
  2. 2 sad and emotional
  3. 3 in a melancholic mood

Examples

Jīntiān yǒudiǎn emo, shénme dōu bù xiǎng zuò.
Feeling a bit emo today — don't want to do anything.
Bànyè tīng gē róngyì emo.
Listening to music late at night easily makes you emo.

Tips

culture
Borrowed from English 'emo' (emotional) but in Chinese internet usage it simply means feeling sad, melancholic, or in a low mood. It doesn't carry the Western subculture associations. Went viral around 2021 as a catch-all for 'I'm feeling down.'
usage
Used as an adjective or verb: emo (I got emo / I'm feeling down), emo (stop being sad). Much softer than 抑郁 (depressed) — it's casual and often semi-humorous.