Feelings Without Easy Names

The quiet ache of feeling hurt, unseen, and unable to fully speak. Some emotions are difficult to translate because they carry more than one feeling at once. In Mandarin, there is a word called 委屈 (wei qu). It is often translated as “feeling wronged,” but that translation can feel too flat. Wei qu can include hurt, sadness, frustration, shame, and loneliness. It often describes a moment when something hurts, but you do not feel fully able to explain it, defend yourself, or as