哽咽 (gěng yè) — to choke with emotion; to sob uncontrollably | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Choking up with sobs from strong emotion, often while trying to speak. 呜咽 is softer — quiet whimpering, not the visible struggle to keep composure.

verb

to choke with emotionto sob uncontrollably

Examples

，哽咽。
Tīng dào zhè ge hǎo xiāo xi, tā jī dòng dé gěng yè le.
Hearing this good news, she choked up with emotion.
哽咽。
Tā zài tái shàng gěng yè zhe jiǎng wán le zì jǐ de gù shi.
On stage, he finished telling his story while choking up.
，哽咽。
Nà bù diàn yǐng tài gǎn rén le, wǒ rěn bú zhù gěng yè qǐ lái.
That movie was so touching, I couldn't help but start sobbing.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

哽gěngchoked throat

'哽' conveys a choked throat, while '咽' adds sobbing, together describing crying with difficulty.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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

口因咽

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

因

因yīn咽yàn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 咽, 口 is mouth, showing it is connected to the mouth or throat; 因 gives the sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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