轻松
relaxed; easy; effortless
qīngsōng
What does 轻松 mean?
轻松 (qīngsōng) is an adjective meaning 'relaxed,' 'easy,' or 'effortless,' describing either a light, unstressed mood or a task that takes little effort. It covers two senses English keeps apart: a person can 'feel 轻松' (relaxed, unburdened) and a task can 'be 轻松' (easy, undemanding). Literally 'light-loose,' it paints the feeling of a weight lifting. It also works adverbially — 轻松地完成 (to finish something with ease).
Learners should note it describes ease of effort or lightness of mood, not simplicity of concept; for 'easy to understand' you want 简单 (simple) or 容易 (easy/likely). And unlike 容易, which often means 'likely to happen,' 轻松 keeps its warm, comfortable, unstressed flavor. The opposite mood is 紧张 (tense, nervous).
Note: Neutral and extremely common in daily speech. Fine in writing too.
Character breakdown
light (in weight)
loose; relaxed; slack
Memory hook: 'Light and loose' — no weight, no tightness, just relaxed.
Example sentences
今天的工作很轻松。
Jīntiān de gōngzuò hěn qīngsōng.
Today's work was pretty easy.
spoken
周末我想在家轻松一下。
Zhōumò wǒ xiǎng zài jiā qīngsōng yīxià.
On the weekend I want to relax at home a bit.
spoken
考完试以后，我感到很轻松。
Kǎo wán shì yǐhòu, wǒ gǎndào hěn qīngsōng.
After finishing the exam, I felt very relaxed.
neutral
他轻轻松松就通过了考试。
Tā qīngqīngsōngsōng jiù tōngguòle kǎoshì.
He passed the exam with total ease.
neutral
Common phrases with 轻松
Synonyms
容易 means 'easy' or 'likely,' focused on low difficulty or high probability. 轻松 adds the feeling of being unstressed and comfortable — a task can be 容易 (not hard) yet still stressful, whereas 轻松 implies you also feel at ease doing it.
放松 is a verb, 'to relax / loosen up' (放松心情). 轻松 is an adjective describing the resulting state. You 放松 in order to feel 轻松.
Don't confuse 轻松 with
放松 (verb, 'to relax something') is an action you do; 轻松 (adjective, 'relaxed / easy') is how you or a task feels. 请放松 means 'please relax'; 很轻松 means 'very relaxed / easy.'
FAQ
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