吸气 (xī qì) — to inhale, to breathe in | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

吸气 is the verb for 'inhale' or 'breathe in' — focus on the intake of air, usually paired with 呼气 ('exhale') in breathing exercises or yoga.

verb

to inhaleto breathe in

Examples

，。
Tā shēn xī le yì kǒu qì, rán hòu màn màn hū chū.
He took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.
，吸气。
Měi cì yóu yǒng qián, jì de xiān zuò jǐ zǔ xī qì.
Before swimming, remember to do a few sets of inhaling.
，吸气。
Yú jiā kè shàng, lǎo shī ràng dà jiā huǎn màn xī qì.
In yoga class, the teacher told everyone to inhale slowly.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

吸 draws air inward, and 气 names the breath being taken in.

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.

口及吸

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

及

及jí吸xī

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

吸 pairs 口 (mouth) with 及, which gives the sound and relates to grabbing, so the shape suggests grabbing through the mouth.

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 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

气米氣

Meaning part形符xíngfú

米米mǐrice

Sound part声符shēngfú

气

气qì氣qì

Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

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