喘 (chuǎn) — to gasp for breath; to pant; to breathe heavily
Definition
喘 (chuǎn) means 'to pant, gasp for breath' after exertion or illness. Pairs with 喘息, which adds the sense of 'taking a brief rest' as a noun; 叹气 is sighing, a different sound/breath pattern.
verb
to gasp for breathto pantto breathe heavily
Easily confused
Examples
- 喘。Tā pá le shí céng lóu hòu bù tíng dì chuǎn.He kept panting after climbing ten flights of stairs.
- ，喘。Nǐ gǎn mào le, yì pǎo bù jiù chuǎn.You have a cold; you pant as soon as you run.
- 喘。Zhè zhī xiǎo gǒu pǎo dé zhí chuǎn.This little dog is panting from running.
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.
Sound part声符shēngfú
耑
耑zhuān喘chuǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
喘 is made from 口 (mouth) and 耑, which supplies the sound.
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