Rosberg qualified second behind team mate Lewis Hamilton who led a front-row lockout for Mercedes, but was unable to prevent the Briton from taking his third successive pole by just four hundredths of a second.
“Yeah frustrated, about four hundredths today,” Rosberg, nursing a sore left eye, told reporters at the Shanghai International Circuit.
"The lap was never perfect, it was a really good lap, it was 99.5 but not 100 percent.
“And then four hundredths is always the blink of an eye, you know. Blink of a bad eye,” Rosberg said, adding that the eye problem -- which he has been nursing for over a year -- did not affect his driving.
Rosberg outqualified Hamilton over the course of last season but has struggled to match his team mate this year.
But the German's performance on Saturday was the closest he has come to beating the world champion in 2015, a fact that did not go unnoticed by team chief Niki Lauda.
“Nico was a little bit behind in the last two races so he’s back on top, thank God,” the triple world champion said.
"Nico at the end did an incredible lap, nearly got Lewis. He did everything right today and especially for his morale it is very important.”
For Hamilton, meanwhile, it was not a completely trouble-free run to pole.
The 30-year-old -- unbeaten in qualifying this year -- failed to improve on his final lap and although he stayed cool in the face of Rosberg’s performance, he felt discomfort from an overheating seat which he swapped for one with more insulation.
“It doesn't burn through the overalls but your butt's pretty hot,” said Hamilton, who also complained of the issue in the final practice session.
“It felt like you'd had a real whooping. That's all I can compare it to.”
(Editing by Ed Osmond)
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