龇牙咧嘴 (zī yá liě zuǐ) — to grimace in pain or discomfort; to bare one's teeth (in anger or aggression)
Definition
An onomatopoeic verb-object set phrase that vividly depicts a contorted face — bared teeth and a twisted mouth from pain, anger, or aggression. The two halves reduplicate the imagery: 龇牙 = baring the teeth, 咧嘴 = mouth pulled wide.
verb
to grimace in pain or discomfortto bare one's teeth (in anger or aggression)
Examples
- ，龇牙咧嘴。Tā bù xiǎo xīn cǎi dào dīng zi, téng dé zī yá liě zuǐ.He accidentally stepped on a nail and was grimacing in pain.
- 龇牙咧嘴，。Nà zhī yě gǒu duì zhe wǒ zī yá liě zuǐ, xià dé wǒ dòng dōu bù gǎn dòng.That stray dog bared its fangs at me, scaring me so much I didn't dare move.
- ，，龇牙咧嘴。Tā shuāi le yì jiāo, suī rán méi shòu zhòng shāng, dàn hái shì téng dé zī yá liě zuǐ.He fell and though he wasn't seriously injured, he was still grimacing from the pain.
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