憋 (biē) — to hold (one's breath); to hold back (urine); to repress, to stifle (emotions, words, anger); (adjective) stifling, suffocating, oppressed
Definition
憋 (biē) is the everyday verb for physically holding back (breath, urine) or stifling feelings inside — more colloquial than 压抑 (which focuses on emotional suppression) and more concrete than 窒息 (which means suffocating physically).
verb
to hold (one's breath)to hold back (urine)to repressto stifle (emotions, words, anger)
adjective
stiflingsuffocatingoppressed
Examples
- 憋，。Wǒ biē le yì kǒu qì, qián dào shuǐ lǐ.I held my breath and dove into the water.
- 憋，。Bié biē zhe niào, duì páng guāng bù hǎo.Don't hold back your urine — it's bad for your bladder.
- 憋，。Tā bǎ huà dōu biē zài xīn lǐ, bù kěn shuō chū lái.Tā bǎ huà dōu ∼ zài xīn lǐ, bù kěn shuō chūlái,
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.
憋 puts 心 (heart) under 敝; 敝 gives the sound.
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