panting sound; grunt with effort; speak haltingly
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
3 senses · 6 examplesonomatopoeia
to make a heavy, muffled sound (of panting, machinery, etc.)
Often reduplicated as 吭哧吭哧 to emphasize the continuous nature of the sound.
Mǎ马
kēng吭
chi哧
kēng吭
chi哧
de地
chuǎn喘
zhe着
cū粗
qì气
。
The horse was panting heavily.
Liè列
chē车
qǐ启
dòng动
shí时
fā发
chū出
kēng吭
chi哧
kēng吭
chi哧
de的
shēng声
xiǎng响
。
The train made chugging sounds when it started.
verb
to grunt or pant involuntarily due to physical exertion; to toil over (a task)
Can describe the sounds made during physical labor or, figuratively, the struggle of completing mental tasks like writing.
Tā他
bēi背
qǐ起
yī一
má麻
dài袋
liáng粮
shi食
zǒu走
zhe着
，
zuǐ嘴
lǐ里
zhí直
kēng吭
chi哧
。
He carried a sack of grain on his back, grunting with the effort.
Tā他
kēng吭
chi哧
le了
hǎo好
jǐ几
tiān天
cái才
xiě写
chū出
zhè这
piān篇
zuò作
wén文
。
He toiled for several days before finally finishing this essay.
verb
to speak hesitantly; to stammer; to hem and haw
Describes speech that is broken, reluctant, or unclear, often due to embarrassment or difficulty expressing oneself.
Tā他
kēng吭
chi哧
le了
bàn半
tiān天
wǒ我
yě也
méi没
yǒu有
tīng听
míng明
bai白
。
He hemmed and hawed for a long time, but I still didn't understand.
Nǐ你
xiǎng想
shuō说
shén什
me么
jiù就
zhí直
shuō说
，
bié别
lǎo老
shì是
kēng吭
chi哧
kēng吭
chi哧
de的
。
If you have something to say, just say it directly; don't keep hemming and hawing.