感叹

gǎntàn

to sigh (with feeling)

HSK 7

Character Breakdown

Usage of 感叹

The verb 感叹 (gǎntàn) means to express admiration, amazement, or a sigh of emotion about something. It often conveys a strong emotional reaction, such as surprise, appreciation, or melancholy.

Common contexts

感叹 is frequently used when reacting to beauty, progress, or the passage of time. For example, people 感叹 nature's beauty, a person's achievements, or how quickly life changes.

Collocations and patterns

Nuances

Using 感叹 often implies a reflective or emotional tone. It is more formal or literary than casual expressions like 惊讶 (surprised). Avoid confusing 感叹 with 叹气 (to sigh) alone; 感叹 includes admiration or emotional reflection, not just sighing.

Summary

Use 感叹 when you want to express a heartfelt emotional reaction, often admiration or poignant reflection, especially in written or formal spoken Chinese.

Example Sentences

她对这幅画感叹不已,觉得非常美丽。

Tā duì zhè fú huà gǎntàn bù yǐ, juéde fēicháng měilì.

She kept sighing with admiration at this painting, finding it very

看到孩子们的进步,老师忍不住感叹时间过得真快。

Kàn dào háizimen de jìnbù, lǎoshī rěnbuzhù gǎntàn shíjiān guò de zhēn kuài.

Seeing the children's progress, the teacher couldn't help but sigh that time

他感叹生活的不易,但依然保持乐观。

Tā gǎntàn shēnghuó de bùyì, dàn yīrán bǎochí lèguān.

He sighed at the hardships of life but still remained optimistic.