utter a sound; speak up
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to utter a sound; to speak up; to respond when spoken to
informalTypically used in negative constructions (e.g., 不吭气, 不敢吭气). Often implies reluctance to speak. Can be pronounced with an optional -r suffix (吭气儿 kēng qìr) in northern dialects.
Wǒ我
pà怕
lǎo老
rén人
zhī知
dào道
le了
zháo着
jí急
，
yī一
zhí直
méi没
gǎn敢
kēng吭
qì气
。
I was afraid the old folks would worry if they found out, so I never dared to breathe a word.
Bù不
guǎn管
nǐ你
zěn怎
me么
zhuī追
wèn问
，
tā他
jiù就
shì是
bù不
kēng吭
qì气
。
No matter how you pressed him, he just wouldn't say a word.
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Wèn问
tā他
shí十
jù句
huà话
，
tā他
yě也
bù不
kēng吭
yī一
shēng声
。
You could ask him ten questions and he wouldn't utter a sound.