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喘息 (chuǎn xī) — to gasp for breath; to take a breather; to rest briefly

Definition

喘息 is a vivid, literary-style verb covering both panting hard and taking a brief rest. Compared with 喘 (raw panting) it sounds more written and also extends to a figurative 'breather'; 比 呼吸 more dramatic.

verb
to gasp for breathto take a breatherto rest briefly

Examples

  • ，喘息。
    Tā pǎo le hěn yuǎn, yì zhí zài chuǎn xī.
    He ran a long way and has been gasping for breath.
  • ，喘息。
    Zuì jìn gōng zuò tè bié máng, gēn běn méi yǒu chuǎn xī de jī huì.
    Work has been especially busy lately; there's no chance to catch my breath at all.
  • 喘息。
    Wǒ men xiān zuò xià lái chuǎn xī yí xià zài jì xù.
    Let's sit down and take a breather before continuing.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

喘chuǎnpant
息xībreath

喘 (pant) and 息 (breath) give the sense of gasping for 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kǒumouth
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.

Open 喘 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

In 息, 自 is nose and 心 is heart, showing breath or life passing through one's nose.

Open 息 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Illness & Symptoms

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