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呻吟 (shēn yín) — to moan, to groan

Definition

呻吟 is a formal/literary verb for moaning or groaning in pain — more sustained and written than 哼 (which can also mean humming or snorting in contempt), and about physical pain rather than the crying of 呜咽 (to sob).

verb
to moanto groan

Examples

  • ，呻吟。
    Tā shòu le zhòng shāng, bù tíng dì shēn yín.
    He was seriously injured and kept moaning.
  • 呻吟。
    Bìng rén yè lǐ shēn yín dé hěn lì hài.
    The patient moaned heavily during the night.
  • ，呻吟。
    Tā gǎn dào yí zhèn jù tòng, rěn bú zhù shēn yín qǐ lái.
    She felt a sharp pain and couldn't help groaning.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

呻shēnmoan
吟yíngroan

呻 and 吟 both describe vocal sounds of pain, together meaning to moan or groan.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
今
今jīn吟yín
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 口 shows it relates to the mouth, and the right part 今 gives a clue to its sound.

Open 吟 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Illness & Symptoms

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