Definition
气息 (qì xī) has two main senses: (1) breath — the air exhaled, often used in literary or descriptive contexts; (2) a subtle smell, scent, or figurative atmosphere (e.g., 春天的气息 'the atmosphere of spring'). It is more poetic and less everyday than 气味 (qì wèi), which is the neutral word for 'smell/odor'. For the breath sense, 气息 is more specific than the broader 气 (qì).
noun
breath (the air from breathing)smellodorflavor(figurative) atmospherequality
Examples
- 气息。Tā hū chū de qì xī zài lěng kōngqì zhōng biàn chéng le bái wù.His breath turned into white mist in the cold air.
- 气息。Huāyuán lǐ mí màn zhe huā de qì xī.The garden is filled with the scent of flowers.
- 气息。Zhège chéngshì chōngmǎn le gǔlǎo de qì xī.This city is full of an ancient atmosphere.
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