Yes, in Chinese 紧张 means both. "Nervous" means that you are feeling anxious or apprehensive about something that is going to happen or about to happen. For example: "I am nervous about getting my blood drawn." or "I am nervous about passing my English test." "Tense" is a feeling that happens when you are nervous or stressed. For example: "Getting my blood drawn makes me tense." or "I'm just tense about my English class." "Tense" is less severe and less emotional than "nervous", so "tense" is more appropriate in a business setting or when you are self conscious about how you might come across. "Tense" can also refer to stressed and have nothing to do with nervousness. For example: "With all the work he has to do, he seems very tense." or "I get really tense when I have to do too may things at once." The word "tense" comes from people tensing up or clenching their muscles when they feel scared, anxious, nervous, or stressed, so it doesn't have as specific of a meaning as "nervous". I hope this helps!

No one has mentioned an important difference between "nervous" and "tense." "Nervous" ONLY describes people (or animals, I guess) and their feelings. "Tense" can describe people AND certain things. For example: a tense relationship (NOT a nervous relationship) a tense situation (NOT a nervous situation) a tense negotiation (NOT a nervous negotiation) a tense battle (NOT a nervous battle) etc. This is a big difference between "nervous" and 紧张. 紧张 has a flexible meaning like "tense." You can't always translate 紧张 as nervous. Also, there are times when 紧张 also doesn't mean "tense," like 我的安排很紧张 or 时间很紧张. In those cases you mean your schedule is tight or you're short on time.

This is easy to explain using the following examples Tense = your wife tells you that she is pregnant Nervous = your mistress tells you that she is pregnant and threatens to phone your wife

nervous - nerves tense - muscles Not a great deal of difference.