Tā yīshí yìqì-yòngshì, shuō le hěnduō hòuhuǐ de huà.
In a fit of emotion he said a lot of things he regretted.
Tips
history
Found in Wu Jingzi's (吴敬梓) Qing novel 《儒林外史》 Chapter 46: 究竟还是意气用事 - 'in the end it was acting on temper, not truly serving the court.' Already a set criticism by the Qing era.
usage
Negative in tone - 'letting hot-headed feelings run the show.' 意气 here is closer to 'temper / pride / momentary passion' than 'spirit.' Common advice frame: 不要意气用事. Contrast with 三思而行 (think thrice before acting).
