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A2 noun 3 min read

厌恶感

yanwugan

Practice it

§ Mistakes people make with 厌恶感

When you're learning Chinese, sometimes words that seem straightforward can trip you up. 厌恶感 (yànwùgǎn) is one of those. While its definition, 'feeling of disgust,' is clear, how you use it in sentences, and what synonyms you might confuse it with, are where learners often make mistakes. Let's break down the common pitfalls so you can use 厌恶感 correctly and confidently.

§ Not using '产生 (chǎnshēng)' or '感到 (gǎndào)'

A very common mistake is simply saying something 'is' 厌恶感. In Chinese, feelings are often 'produced' or 'felt.' You can't just say '这是厌恶感' (zhè shì yànwùgǎn) to mean 'this is disgust' in the same way you might in English. Instead, you need a verb that shows the feeling coming into existence or being experienced.

DEFINITION: To produce or give rise to (a feeling): 产生 (chǎnshēng)

DEFINITION: To feel, to sense: 感到 (gǎndào)

So, if you want to express that something causes a feeling of disgust, you'd use 产生. If you want to say that *you* feel disgust, you'd use 感到.

那种行为让我产生厌恶感。(Nà zhǒng xíngwéi ràng wǒ chǎnshēng yànwùgǎn.) — That kind of behavior makes me feel disgust.

我对他的谎言感到厌恶感。(Wǒ duì tā de huǎngyán gǎndào yànwùgǎn.) — I feel disgust towards his lies.

§ Confusing 厌恶感 with 讨厌 (tǎoyàn)

Many learners mix up 厌恶感 (yànwùgǎn) and 讨厌 (tǎoyàn). While both relate to dislike, their intensity and grammatical function are different.

厌恶感 (yànwùgǎn): This is a noun, meaning a 'feeling of disgust.' It's a strong, often visceral, negative emotion. Think revulsion or repulsion.
讨厌 (tǎoyàn): This is primarily a verb, meaning 'to dislike' or 'to loathe.' It can also be an adjective meaning 'annoying' or 'disagreeable.' The intensity is generally less than 厌恶感. You can dislike a food, but you usually feel disgust towards something truly offensive.

Here's how they differ in usage:

我对说谎的人感到厌恶感。(Wǒ duì shuōhuǎng de rén gǎndào yànwùgǎn.) — I feel disgust towards liars.

我讨厌吃香菜。(Wǒ tǎoyàn chī xiāngcài.) — I dislike eating cilantro.

§ Overusing 厌恶感

Because 厌恶感 is a strong word, it's not something you use all the time. If you simply 'don't like' something, 讨厌 (tǎoyàn) or 不喜欢 (bù xǐhuān) are much more appropriate. Using 厌恶感 for mild dislikes can sound unnatural and overly dramatic.

我不喜欢下雨天。(Wǒ bù xǐhuān xià yǔ tiān.) — I don't like rainy days. (Correct, not 厌恶感)

看到那些腐烂的食物，我产生了一种厌恶感。(Kàn dào nà xiē fǔlàn de shíwù, wǒ chǎnshēng le yī zhǒng yànwùgǎn.) — Seeing that rotten food, I felt a sense of disgust. (Correct use of 厌恶感)

By being mindful of these common mistakes, you'll be able to use 厌恶感 more accurately and sound more like a native speaker. Pay attention to the verbs that precede it, understand its intensity compared to similar words, and use it only when the situation truly calls for a strong feeling of disgust.

Fun Fact

The character 厌 (yàn) can also be used in words like 讨厌 (tǎoyàn), meaning 'to dislike' or 'annoying,' showing a consistent theme of aversion.

Grammar to Know

Nouns like 厌恶感 can often be followed by verbs such as 产生 (to produce, to generate) or 引起 (to cause, to arouse) to express that a feeling of disgust is being generated or caused.

他总是说谎，这让我对她产生了厌恶感。 (He always lies, which caused me to generate a feeling of disgust towards him.)

You can use modifiers before 厌恶感 to describe the intensity or type of disgust. Common adverbs include 强烈 (strong), 轻微 (slight), and 莫名 (inexplicable).

我对这种行为有强烈的厌恶感。 (I have a strong feeling of disgust towards this kind of behavior.)

To express disgust towards something or someone, you can use the structure 对 [person/thing] 产生/引起厌恶感.

我对他的自私行为感到厌恶感。 (I feel disgust towards his selfish behavior.)

厌恶感 can also be used as the object of verbs like 感到 (to feel) or 体验到 (to experience).

我感到一种深深的厌恶感。 (I feel a deep feeling of disgust.)

When 厌恶感 is the subject of a sentence, it often describes how a feeling of disgust manifests or affects something.

这种厌恶感让他无法忍受。 (This feeling of disgust made him unable to bear it.)

Common Collocations

感到厌恶感 to feel disgusted

产生厌恶感 to produce a feeling of disgust

厌恶感很强 strong feeling of disgust

消除厌恶感 to eliminate the feeling of disgust

没有厌恶感 no feeling of disgust

厌恶感加剧 disgust intensifies

一种厌恶感 a feeling of disgust

内心的厌恶感 inner feeling of disgust

令人厌恶感 disgusting

普遍的厌恶感 widespread disgust

Common Phrases

我对那种行为感到厌恶感。

I feel disgusted (厌恶感) by that kind of behavior.

他对我产生了厌恶感。

He developed a feeling of disgust (厌恶感) towards me.

这种气味让人产生强烈的厌恶感。

This smell causes a strong feeling of disgust (厌恶感).

我试图消除对它的厌恶感。

I tried to eliminate my feeling of disgust (厌恶感) towards it.

她对谎言没有厌恶感。

She has no feeling of disgust (厌恶感) towards lies.

他的言行让我的厌恶感加剧了。

His words and actions intensified my feeling of disgust (厌恶感).

看到那些画面，我产生了一种厌恶感。

Seeing those images, I felt a kind of disgust (厌恶感).

他无法掩饰内心的厌恶感。

He couldn't hide his inner feeling of disgust (厌恶感).

这种令人厌恶感的食物我一口也吃不下。

I can't eat a single bite of this disgusting (令人厌恶感) food.

社会上普遍存在对腐败的厌恶感。

There is a widespread feeling of disgust (厌恶感) towards corruption in society.

Often Confused With

厌恶感 vs 厌倦 (yànjuàn)

Don't confuse '厌恶感' (disgust) with '厌倦' (boredom/weariness). While both are negative feelings, '厌倦' is about being tired of something, not repulsed by it.

厌恶感 vs 愤怒 (fènnù)

While intense disgust can lead to anger, '厌恶感' is not the same as '愤怒' (anger). Disgust is a feeling of repulsion, anger is a feeling of strong displeasure or hostility.

厌恶感 vs 恐惧 (kǒngjù)

Disgust is different from '恐惧' (fear). You might be disgusted by something without necessarily fearing it, and vice versa.

Grammar Patterns

动词 + 厌恶感 (e.g., 产生厌恶感) 对 + 对象 + 产生/充满厌恶感厌恶感 + 程度副词 (e.g., 强烈) 形容词 + 厌恶感 (e.g., 极度的厌恶感)

Easily Confused

厌恶感 vs 恶心 (ě xīn)

Often confused with '厌恶感' because both relate to unpleasant feelings, but '恶心' specifically refers to nausea or a strong physical revulsion.

'厌恶感' is a general feeling of disgust or aversion, often psychological. '恶心' is more physical, like feeling sick to your stomach, or a strong moral repulsion towards something truly foul.

他看到那盘变质的肉，觉得很恶心。 (Tā kàndào nà pán biànzhì de ròu, juéde hěn ěxīn.) He felt sick when he saw that plate of spoiled meat.

厌恶感 vs 反感 (fǎngǎn)

Similar to '厌恶感' in expressing dislike, but '反感' is usually a feeling of antagonism or antipathy, often towards someone's behavior or an idea, rather than just disgust.

'厌恶感' is a stronger, more visceral feeling of disgust. '反感' is a more general feeling of being annoyed or having a negative reaction to something or someone.

我对他的这种傲慢态度感到很反感。 (Wǒ duì tā de zhè zhǒng àomàn tàidù gǎndào hěn fǎngǎn.) I feel antipathy towards his arrogant attitude.

厌恶感 vs 讨厌 (tǎoyàn)

Both express dislike. '讨厌' is a very common word for 'to dislike' or 'to hate' in a milder sense, while '厌恶感' is a stronger, more formal noun for the feeling of disgust.

'厌恶感' is the feeling of disgust, often strong and deep-seated. '讨厌' can be a verb 'to dislike' or an adjective 'annoying/disgusting,' but is generally less intense than '厌恶感'.

我讨厌吃香菜。 (Wǒ tǎoyàn chī xiāngcài.) I dislike eating cilantro.

厌恶感 vs 憎恶 (zēng'è)

A very strong word for hatred or detestation, making it similar to the intensity of '厌恶感' but with a broader scope of strong negative emotion.

'厌恶感' specifically conveys disgust. '憎恶' is a much stronger, more profound hatred or loathing, often with moral connotations.

他对战争和暴力深感憎恶。 (Tā duì zhànzhēng hé bàolì shēgǎn zēng'è.) He deeply detests war and violence.

厌恶感 vs 鄙视 (bǐshì)

Both '厌恶感' and '鄙视' express strong negative feelings. '鄙视' implies looking down on someone or something with contempt.

'厌恶感' is a feeling of revulsion or disgust. '鄙视' is more about contempt and disdain, often from a position of perceived superiority.

他鄙视那些不劳而获的人。 (Tā bǐshì nàxiē bù láo ér huò de rén.) He despises those who gain without effort.

Sentence Patterns

对 [something/someone] 产生厌恶感。

我对他的谎言产生了厌恶感。

[someone] 对 [something/someone] 充满了厌恶感。

她对这种不公平的待遇充满了厌恶感。

心中/心里产生一种厌恶感。

看到那种场景，我心里产生了一种厌恶感。

厌恶感越来越强烈。

我对他的行为，厌恶感越来越强烈。

难以抑制的厌恶感。

面对他的背叛，我感受到了难以抑制的厌恶感。

Word Origin

厌 (yàn) means 'to loathe' or 'to detest,' and 恶 (wù) means 'evil' or 'bad.' The suffix 感 (gǎn) means 'feeling' or 'sense.'

Original meaning: The combination literally means 'feeling of loathing evil' or 'feeling of detestation for something bad.'

Sino-Tibetan, Sinitic languages, Chinese

Cultural Context

When describing a strong negative feeling towards something, '厌恶感' is a very direct and impactful term. It's often used in more serious contexts than simply '不喜欢' (bù xǐhuan, don't like), implying a deeper sense of revulsion or strong disapproval. You'll hear it when people talk about things that are truly offensive or disgusting, like certain behaviors or social issues.

Test Yourself 18 questions

sentence order A1

Tap words below to build the sentence

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 我喜欢吃苹果

This sentence means 'I like to eat apples.' The correct order is Subject-Verb-Object.

sentence order A1

Tap words below to build the sentence

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 她是一个学生

This sentence means 'She is a student.' The correct order is Subject-Verb-Numeral-Measure word-Noun.

sentence order A1

Tap words below to build the sentence

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 你好吗

This is a common greeting meaning 'How are you?'

fill blank A2

她对那个地方充满了_______。

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 厌恶感

The sentence indicates a strong negative feeling towards a place, making '厌恶感' (feeling of disgust) the most suitable choice.

fill blank A2

看到那些不卫生的食物，我心里产生了很强的_______。

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 厌恶感

Unsanitary food typically evokes a feeling of disgust, so '厌恶感' is the correct answer.

fill blank A2

他的行为让大家对他产生了_______。

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 厌恶感

If someone's behavior causes negative feelings in others, '厌恶感' (feeling of disgust) is the appropriate word.

fill blank A2

这部电影的暴力场景让一些观众感到_______。

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 厌恶感

Violent scenes in a movie often cause a feeling of disgust or repulsion, hence '厌恶感' is correct.

fill blank A2

他说话的方式总是让人有种_______。

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 厌恶感

If someone's manner of speaking consistently evokes a negative reaction, '厌恶感' (feeling of disgust) fits best.

fill blank A2

长时间不打扫房间会让人产生_______。

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 厌恶感

A prolonged lack of cleaning in a room would naturally lead to a feeling of disgust, making '厌恶感' the correct choice.

listening C2

Listen for how he reacted to the speech.

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 他对这种言论表现出了极大的厌恶感。