breathe; respiration; a fleeting moment
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 7 examplesverb
to breathe; to respire; to inhale and exhale
neutralUsed for all life forms. For humans and animals, it specifically involves the lungs or other specialized organs.
Tā他
shēn深
hū呼
xī吸
le了
jǐ几
xià下
，
shì试
tú图
ràng让
zì自
jǐ己
píng平
jìng静
xià下
lái来
。
He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.
Qián潜
shuǐ水
yuán员
zài在
shuǐ水
xià下
bì必
xū须
yī依
kào靠
yǎng氧
qì气
píng瓶
hū呼
xī吸
。
Divers must rely on oxygen tanks to breathe underwater.
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Zhí植
wù物
tōng通
guò过
yè叶
piàn片
shàng上
de的
qì气
kǒng孔
hū呼
xī吸
。
Plants respire through stomata on their leaves.
Yú鱼
yòng用
sāi鳃
hū呼
xī吸
。
Fish breathe using gills.
noun
a breath; a fleeting moment; an instant
literaryUsed in formal or literary contexts to indicate a very brief period, often in fixed phrases. The metaphorical sense originates from the time it takes to complete one inhalation and exhalation.
Chéng成
bài败
wǎng往
wǎng往
jiù就
zài在
hū呼
xī吸
zhī之
jiān间
。
Success and failure often hang on a single breath.
Nà那
jīng惊
xiǎn险
de的
chǎng场
miàn面
，
zhì至
jīn今
xiǎng想
qǐ起
réng仍
lìng令
rén人
hū呼
xī吸
wéi为
zhī之
yī一
zhì窒
。
Thinking of that thrilling scene to this day still makes one's breath catch.
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Zhàn战
jī机
shāo稍
zòng纵
jí即
shì逝
，
jiù就
zài在
hū呼
xī吸
zhī之
shùn瞬
。
A fleeting opportunity is gone in the blink of an eye—in a single breath.