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咬牙 (yǎo yá) — to clench one's teeth (in pain, determination, or anger); to grind one's teeth (in sleep)

Definition

A vivid verb meaning to clench or grit your teeth, usually as a sign of determination, endurance, or suppressed anger — never just describing chewing.

verb
to clench one's teeth (in pain, determination, or anger)to grind one's teeth (in sleep)

Examples

  • 咬牙。
    Tā téng dé zhí yǎo yá.
    He was in so much pain he kept clenching his teeth.
  • ，。
    Tā yǎo le yí xià yá, jì xù wǎng qián zǒu.
    He clenched his teeth once and continued walking.
  • ，咬牙。
    Wèi le chéng gōng, tā yǎo yá jiān chí le xià lái.
    To succeed, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

咬yǎobite
牙yáteeth

咬 (bite) and 牙 (teeth) form the action of clenching the teeth.

Characters in this word

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kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
交
交jiāo咬yǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

咬 is built from 口, meaning mouth, and 交, which gives the sound.

Open 咬 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 牙 →
Appears in
Body Parts

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