Chinese word

呜咽

Pronunciation

Pinyinwū yè

Meaning

  • verbsob

Example

他在角落里呜咽。tā zài jiǎo luò lǐ wū yè

He is sobbing in the corner.

Illustration for 呜咽 (sob)

More examples

看到旧照片，他不由得在房间里呜咽。kàn dào jiù zhào piān tā bù yóu de zài fáng jiān lǐ wū yè

Seeing the old photos, he could not help sobbing in the room.

Core concept

An interrupted, muffled cry shaped by a tight throat rather than a loud outburst.

Common phrases

  • 呜咽不止wū yè bù zhǐ

    sob incessantly

  • 忍不住呜咽rěn bú zhù wū yè

    cannot help sobbing

Similar words

哭kū: Cry with tears and an audible voice to show sadness or pain.
哭泣kū qì: Weep aloud while shedding tears to show sadness.
抽泣chōu qì: Shed quiet sobs in short, broken breaths.
哽咽gěng yè: Cry with a choked voice that breaks off between sounds.

Definition in Chinese

发出低而断续的抽泣声，声音像被东西哽住，常带有悲伤或痛苦的情绪。fā chū dī ér duàn xù de chōu qì shēng shēng yīn xiàng bèi dōng xī gěng zhù cháng dài yǒu bēi shāng huò tòng kǔ de qíng xù

Word origin

The sound-symbolic 呜 (wū, "a low cry") is paired with 咽 (yè, "to choke"), creating an image of crying that comes out in short, blocked bursts.

Usage tips

  • This word focuses on what the crying sounds like, so it adds a precise sound detail when a simple statement about tears does not show the whole scene.

Other meanings

  • whimpernoun
  • weepverb

Opposites

  • 大笑dà xiàolaugh loudlyverb

Related words

  • 呜咽声wū yè shēngsobbing soundnoun

Word lists with this word