呛 (qiàng) — to irritate the nose, to choke (of smoke, fumes, or strong smell); (colloquial, Taiwan) to shout at someone, to scold
Definition
呛 has two unrelated senses: 'to choke/irritate the nose' from smoke or fumes, and (colloquial, Taiwan) 'to scold' — sharper and more direct than 骂. For the spicy-hot taste, use 辣.
verb
to irritate the noseto choke (of smoke, fumes, or strong smell)(colloquial, Taiwan) to shout at someoneto scold
Examples
- 呛。Zhè ge fáng jiān de yóu qī wèi zhēn qiàng rén.The paint smell in this room really irritates the nose.
- 呛。Tā bèi nóng yān qiàng dào le.He was choked by thick smoke.
- 呛。Tā mā ma qiàng le tā jǐ jù.His mother scolded him a few words.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 嗆; 呛 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
倉
倉cāng嗆qiāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 嗆 pairs 口 (mouth) with 倉, which gives the sound; the simplified 呛 is a shorthand, so its right side is not a sound part.
Appears in
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