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咬紧牙关 (yǎo jǐn yá guān) — to grit one's teeth and bear it; to endure with determination

Definition

A chengyu meaning to grit your teeth and push through hardship with determination. It pictures clenching the jaw tight — focus on the physical image of forcing yourself to endure.

idiom
to grit one's teeth and bear itto endure with determination

Examples

  • ，咬紧牙关。
    Wèi le jiā rén, tā yǎo jǐn yá guān áo guò le zuì kǔ de rì zi.
    For his family, he gritted his teeth and endured the hardest times.
  • 咬紧牙关。
    Chuàng yè chū qī zài nán yě yào yǎo jǐn yá guān tǐng guò qù.
    No matter how hard the early days of starting a business are, you must grit your teeth and get through it.
  • 咬紧牙关。
    Tā yǎo jǐn yá guān jiān chí pǎo wán le quán chéng.
    He gritted his teeth and kept running until he finished the whole course.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

咬紧clench tight
咬yǎobite紧jǐntight
补充Verb + complement
牙关jaw
牙yátooth关guānjoint
偏正Modifier + head

咬 clench, 紧 tight, 牙 tooth, 关 joint combine to mean grit 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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 緊; 紧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
臤
臤qiān緊jǐn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 緊 pairs 糸 (thread) with 臤 as a sound part; the simplified 紧 is a later shorthand.

Open 紧 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 牙 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 關; 关 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
門門méndoor
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢇅
𢇅𢇅關guān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 关, the traditional form 關 shows 門 as a door and 𢇅 as two wooden sticks locking it, with ring-like marks on top.

Open 关 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesWill & Intention

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