Happiness. A simple enough concept, and yet there are numerous words that describe the shades of this emotion in Chinese.

In this post, we are looking at 开心 (kāixīn), 高兴 (gāoxìng), 快乐 (kuàilè), 幸福 (xìngfú) and 甜蜜 (tiánmì). Read on for definitions and example sentences…

Picture: gb.cri.cn

开心 (kāixīn)

开心 literally means “open heart”, a nice way to remember this kind of happiness. 开心 describes a joyful, cheerful emotional state. When you’ve having fun, you are 开心.

Example sentences

我们玩得很开心.

Wǒmen wán de hěn kāixīn.

We had a really great time.





Wǒmen wán de hěn kāixīn. We had a really great time. 跟他在一起真开心

Gēn tā zài yīqǐ zhēn kāixīn

Being with him, [I’m] really happy.

Note: 开心 can also be used to mean “make fun of someone”





高兴 (gāoxìng)

高兴 breaks down to literally mean “high” (高) and “excited” (兴奋), which offers a good clue as to the type of high-spirited happiness that 高兴 describes. It tends to be used to describe a person’s mood or a feeling in a given moment.

Example sentences:

见到你很高兴

Jiàndào nǐ hěn gāoxìng.

Pleased to meet you.





Jiàndào nǐ hěn gāoxìng. Pleased to meet you. 我很高兴回家

Wǒ hěn gāoxìng huí jiā!

I’m so happy to be back home!





Wǒ hěn gāoxìng huí jiā! I’m so happy to be back home! 这个好消息让我们很高兴

Zhège hǎo xiāoxi ràng wǒmen hěn gāoxìng

This good news made us very happy.



快乐 (kuàilè)

快乐can be used to mean happy (adj) or happiness (noun). It generally relates to happiness of a longer duration than 高兴 and开心. For example, 快乐is often used to wish someone happiness on special occasions, the implication being that it is a sustained state.



Example sentences:

祝你生日快乐

Zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè!

I wish you a happy birthday!





Zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè! I wish you a happy birthday! 新年快乐！

Xīn nián kuàilè!

Happy New Year!





Xīn nián kuàilè! Happy New Year! 你不可能给快乐定价

Nǐ bùkěnéng gěi kuàilè dìngjià.

You can’t put a price on happiness.



幸福(xìngfú)

Graduating from the previous three, 幸福 describes a blissful or blessed, prolonged kind of happiness. It’s used to describe a person who’s “blessed” with a profoundly happy, content situation.



Example sentences:

我有一个幸福的家庭

Wǒ yǒu yī ge xìngfú de jiātíng.

I have a blessed, harmonious family.





Wǒ yǒu yī ge xìngfú de jiātíng. I have a blessed, harmonious family. 祝你们幸福

Zhù nǐmen xìngfú.

I wish you blessed happiness (used for weddings)





Zhù nǐmen xìngfú. I wish you blessed happiness (used for weddings) 你真幸福

Nǐ zhēn xìngfú

You really are blessed/ fortunate.





甜蜜/ tiánmì

Literally “sweet honey”, most of the time 甜蜜 refers to the happiness of couples or lovers.

Example sentences:

祝你们爱情甜蜜

Zhù nǐmen àiqíng tiánmì.

I wish you happiness in love.





Zhù nǐmen àiqíng tiánmì. I wish you happiness in love. 爱是一种甜蜜的痛苦

Ài shì yī zhǒng tiánmì de tòngkǔ.

Love is a sweet kind of torment.





These words, especially 开心 (kāixīn) and 高兴 (gāoxìng) can be used interchangeably depending on the context. The best way to gain confidence to use them correctly is to start by learning common set phrases, such as “玩得很开心” and “祝你们幸福” above. Listen out for them in your daily interactions or in movies, too. This way you’ll begin to get the hang of the distinctions in context, and you’ll be cheerfully pulling out your own sentences in no time.

Happy Wednesday!



Post by Sarah Soulié

Twitter: suxiaoya