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气喘吁吁 (qì chuǎn xū xū) — to be out of breath, panting heavily

Definition

A vivid chengyu describing someone panting hard after exertion. Often used as a predicate (气喘吁吁的) or a complement (跑得气喘吁吁).

verb
to be out of breathpanting heavily

Examples

  • 气喘吁吁。
    Tā pá wán lóu tī hòu qì chuǎn xū xū.
    After climbing the stairs, he was out of breath.
  • 气喘吁吁，。
    Tā pǎo dé qì chuǎn xū xū, shuō bù chū huà lái.
    She ran so hard she was panting and couldn't speak.
  • 气喘吁吁。
    Dà jiā dào le shān dǐng dōu qì chuǎn xū xū de.
    Everyone was out of breath when they reached the mountaintop.

Origin

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.

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 →

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 →

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
于
于yú吁xū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 口 part is a mouth, since the character is about sounds made with the mouth; the 于 part gives the sound.

Open 吁 →

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
于
于yú吁xū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 口 part is a mouth, since the character is about sounds made with the mouth; the 于 part gives the sound.

Open 吁 →
Appears in
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