呵欠 (hē qiàn) — yawn

Definition

Literary/ written noun for 'yawn'. In everyday speech, you almost always use the verb 打哈欠 instead; 呵欠 itself is rarely used on its own.

noun
yawn

Examples

  • 呵欠。
    Tā dǎ le yí gè hē qiàn.
    He gave a yawn.
  • 呵欠。
    Tā rěn bú zhù dǎ le yí gè hē qiàn.
    She couldn't help yawning.
  • 呵欠。
    Shàng kè shí dǎ hē qiàn hěn bù lǐ mào.
    Yawning in class is very impolite.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

呵hēexhale
欠qiànopen-mouthed breath

The yawn pairs 呵, an exhale, with 欠, an open-mouthed breath.

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kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
可
可kě呵hē
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 口 (mouth) points to a mouth action, while 可 gives the sound.

Open 呵 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

欠 is a kneeling person with an open mouth, shown in actions such as begging, speaking, blowing, singing, or being tired.

Open 欠 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.