屏气 (bǐng qì) — to hold one's breath

Definition

Literary verb meaning 'to hold one's breath' — used for deliberate, often tense pauses, more formal than the colloquial 屏住呼吸.

verb
to hold one's breath
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，屏气。
    Tā qián rù shuǐ zhōng, bǐng qì jǐ miǎo zhōng.
    He dived into the water and held his breath for a few seconds.
  • ，。
    Tā píng le yì kǒu qì, rán hòu tiào jìn hé lǐ.
    He held a breath and then jumped into the river.
  • ，。
    Tā píng le sān fēn zhōng de qì, cái fú chū shuǐ miàn.
    He held his breath for three minutes before surfacing.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

屏píngsuppress; hold back
气qìbreath

屏 means to suppress or hold back, and 气 is breath; together they mean holding one's 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
尸尸shī
Sound part声符shēngfú
并
并bìng屏bǐng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

屏 pairs 尸 with 并, which supplies the sound.

Open 屏 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
气
气qì氣qì
Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Open 气 →

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