Chinese word

叹息

Pronunciation

Pinyintàn xī

Meaning

  • verbsigh

Example

她听到后就叹息了tā tīng dào hòu jiù tàn xī le

She sighed as soon as she heard it.

Illustration for 叹息 (sigh)

More examples

看完信后，他轻轻地叹息。kàn wán xìn hòu tā qīng qīng dì tàn xī

After finishing the letter, he sighed softly.

Core concept

An exhaled sound carries an inner burden outward, whether the feeling is tiredness, helplessness, regret, or reflection.

Common phrases

  • 忍不住叹息rěn bú zhù tàn xī

    cannot help but sigh

  • 轻轻地叹息qīng qīng dì tàn xī

    sigh softly

  • 深深地叹息shēn shēn dì tàn xī

    sigh deeply

Similar words

叹气tàn qì: Release a brief breath as a sign of discontent.
松一口气sōng yì kǒu qì: Relax with relief after tension or worry has passed.
唉声叹气āi shēng tàn qì: Express disappointment or discontent with a series of sighs.

Definition in Chinese

用轻微或较明显的呼气声来表达遗憾、无奈、疲倦或感慨，既可指动作也可指所发出的声音。yòng qīng wēi huò jiào míng xiǎn de hū qì shēng lái biǎo dá yí hàn wú nài pí juàn huò gán kǎi jì kě zhǐ dòng zuò yě kě zhǐ suǒ fā chū de shēng yīn

Word origin

叹 (tàn, "to lament") names the emotional response and 息 (xī, "breath") names its physical channel, so the compound links feeling with an audible exhalation.

Usage tips

  • For English speakers, a sigh can signal relief as well as sadness, whereas 叹息 (tànxī, "sigh") normally highlights a burdensome or reflective feeling rather than simple relief.

Other meanings

  • lamentverb

Opposites

  • 欢笑huān xiàolaugh joyfullyverb

Related words

  • 叹息声tàn xī shēngsound of a sighnoun

Word lists with this word