郁郁寡欢

鬱鬱寡歡

yùyùguǎhuān

idiom

Meanings

1 depressed and joyless
2 gloomy and unsmiling

Characters

gloomy, pent-up

gloomy (reduplicated)

Examples

失业后他整天郁郁寡欢。

Shīyè hòu tā zhěngtiān yùyù guǎhuān.

After losing his job, he's been gloomy all day, every day.

郁郁寡欢对身体不好。

Yùyù guǎhuān duì shēntǐ bù hǎo.

Staying gloomy is bad for your health.

Tips

history

Traces to Qu Yuan's 《九章·抽思》 — 'my heart gloomy with grief, I sigh alone and wound myself.' The phrase carries a whiff of classical melancholy.

Stroke Order

郁 yù

寡 guǎ

欢 huān