哑巴 (yǎ ba) — a mute person, someone who cannot speak
Definition
A person who cannot speak (literal medical condition), but in everyday talk it usually means 'to stay silent on purpose' — as in the idiom 有苦说不出. Note the neutral 巴 ending makes it a noun for a person, not an adjective.
noun
a mute personsomeone who cannot speak
Measure word · 个
Examples
- 哑巴,。Tā shì gè yǎ ba, bù néng shuō huà.He is a mute and cannot speak.
- 哑巴。yǎ ba Yòng shǒu yǔ hé bié rén jiāo liú.Mute people communicate with others using sign language.
- 哑巴,。Tā zhēn shì yǎ ba chī huáng lián, yǒu kǔ shuō bù chū.He is really like a mute eating bitter gourd — he has bitterness but cannot express it.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.