Definition
嘀咕 means 'to mutter to oneself' or 'to have misgivings'. As 'mutter', it's quiet, private speech often expressing doubt or complaint. As 'misgivings', it's a nagging unease about something. 顾虑 (gùlǜ) is a more deliberate, conscious worry or concern you think about, not the restless inner voice that 嘀咕 describes.
verb
to mutterto mumble (to oneself)to have misgivingsto feel uneasy about something
Easily confused
- 低估dī gūsound-aliketo underestimate; to underrate
- 低谷dī gǔsound-alikelow point, trough, nadir (figurative, of a cycle or situation)
Examples
- 嘀咕，。Bié yí ge rén zài nàr dí gu le, shuō chūlái dàjiā tīng tīng.Stop muttering to yourself over there; say it out loud so we can all hear.
- 嘀咕，。Wǒ xīnli yìzhí dí gu zhè jiàn shì, pà tā bù tóngyì.I've been feeling uneasy about this the whole time, afraid he might not agree.
- 嘀咕，。Tāmen lǎo zài bèihòu dí gu biérén, zhèyàng bú tài hǎo.They're always muttering about others behind their backs — that's not nice.
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