English–Chinese
“hold back” in Chinese
How to say “hold back” in Chinese
“Hold back” in Chinese is 憋 (biē).
Pressure builds inside because a natural response is being held in instead of released.
Example sentences with 憋
她把委屈憋在心里很久了。tā bǎ wěi qū biē zài xīn lǐ hěn jiǔ le
She kept her grievances to herself for a long time.
Tips for using 憋
- In conversation, the word commonly describes a response that is difficult to keep in, which helps distinguish it from simply choosing not to speak or act.
Other Chinese words for “hold back”
他试图用话挽住她。tā shì tú yòng huà wǎn zhù tā
He tried to hold her back with words.