玻璃心 Bōlíxīn

Posted on by tiffany

玻璃心

Bolixin

玻璃心 · Bōlíxīn
In one line
Literally “glass heart” — like the English word “snowflake,” describing someone who is sensitive, emotional, and easily offended.
Definition

形容词 ADJ.

Literally meaning “glass heart,” this term is very similar to the English concept of a “snowflake.” It is used to describe people whose feelings get hurt easily or who cannot handle criticism or pressure.

Even though it ends in “heart” (which sounds like a noun), it functions as an adjective in sentences.

You can also express the same dramatic feeling by saying 玻璃碎掉了 (Bōlí suì diàole, “the glass shattered”).

Examples

例句

可以kěyǐ不要búyào那么nàme玻璃心bōlíxīn吗ma？
Please don’t be such a snowflake!
他tā非常fēicháng玻璃心bōlíxīn，你nǐ最好zuìhǎo小心xiǎoxīn说话shuōhuà
He is a total snowflake, you’d better watch what you say.
我wǒ觉得juéde我wǒ听到tīngdào玻璃bōlí碎suì掉diào的de声音shēngyīn了le。
I think I heard the sound of breaking glass. (I guess you are a snowflake.)
Dialogue

对话

A
你nǐ不bù觉得juéde妈妈māma做zuò的de意大利面yìdàlìmiàn有点yǒudiǎn清淡qīngdàn吗ma？
Don’t you think the spaghetti mom made is a little bland?
B
嗯èn，我wǒ真zhēn的de想xiǎng加jiā点diǎn盐yán和hé胡椒hújiāo。
Um, I really want to add some salt and pepper.
A
那nà你nǐ怎么zěnme不bù加jiā？我wǒ还hái以为yǐwéi只有zhǐyǒu我wǒ觉得juéde清淡qīngdàn呢ne！
Then why didn’t you do it? I thought I was the only one who felt the spaghetti was bland!
B
怎么zěnme可能kěnéng！你nǐ知道zhīdào妈妈māma很hěn敏感mǐngǎn吗ma？她tā上次shàngcì就jiù因为yīnwèi我wǒ说shuō她tā三明治sānmíngzhì有点yǒudiǎn咸xián，跟gēn我wǒ生气shēngqì了le一yì整zhěng天tiān。
No way. You know that Mom is very sensitive! She was upset with me for a whole day because I said her sandwich was a little bit salty last time.
A
对duì喔o！如果rúguǒ我们wǒmen真zhēn的de加jiā了le盐yán和hé胡椒hújiāo，大概dàgài会huì听到tīngdào玻璃bōlí碎suì掉diào的de声音shēngyīn吧ba。
Right. If we really add some salt and pepper, we’ll probably hear the sound of glass shattering.
Don’t mix these up

辨析

People often confuse different ways to talk about sensitivity or emotional vulnerability. Here is how they compare:

TermWhat it actually meansTone
玻璃心bōlíxīn Extremely sensitive, fragile, or easily offended by criticism Casual, teasing, or critical slang
敏感mǐngǎn Sensitive to surroundings, feelings, or external stimuli Neutral or descriptive
情绪化qíngxùhuà Prone to mood swings or acting based on temporary emotions Critical or evaluative

The quick test: 玻璃心 is internet slang specifically for fragile egos, 敏感 is a general description of sensitivity, and 情绪化 refers to moodiness.

Flashcards

快闪卡

Tap a card to flip it.

玻璃心
bōlíxīn
Glass heart / Snowflake — easily offended or hurt
敏感
mǐngǎn
Sensitive — observant or emotionally responsive
情绪化
qíngxùhuà
Emotional / moody — unstable in mood swings
脆弱
cuìruò
Fragile / vulnerable — weak against pressure
Beyond Chinese

跨语言

The concept of having a fragile mental state or being easily offended is captured vividly in Korean and Japanese.

Korean · 유리멘탈
유리멘탈 (yuri mental, “glass mental”)
저는 유리멘탈이라서 비판을 받으면 쉽게 상처를 받아요.
I have a glass mental, so I get hurt easily when criticized.
Japanese · ガラスメンタル
ガラスメンタル (garasu mentaru)
ガラスメンタルだから、そんなこと言わないでよ。
I have a glass mental, so don’t say things like that to me.
Etymology fact
The term “bōlíxīn” (glass heart) uses glass as a metaphor for something that is transparent, beautiful, but extremely fragile and prone to shattering under the slightest impact. It became a popular internet slang word to describe individuals who cannot tolerate criticism, dissenting opinions, or emotional pressure.
Do you like it? 🙂