Chinese word

呼吸困难

Pronunciation

Pinyinhū xī kùn nán

Meaning

  • nountrouble breathing

Example

我有点呼吸困难，能开窗吗？wǒ yóu diǎn hū xī kùn nán néng kāi chuāng ma

I'm having a little trouble breathing. Can you open the window?

Illustration for 呼吸困难 (trouble breathing)

More examples

我爬上楼后突然感到呼吸困难，坐下休息了一会儿。wǒ pá shàng lóu hòu tū rán gǎn dào hū xī kùn nán zuò xià xiū xī le yí huìr

After I climbed the stairs, I suddenly felt short of breath and sat down to rest for a while.

Core concept

Air does not move in and out easily, leaving a person feeling tight-chested or unable to take a full breath.

Common phrases

  • 有呼吸困难yǒu hū xī kùn nán

    have trouble breathing

  • 感到呼吸困难gǎn dào hū xī kùn nán

    feel short of breath

  • 出现呼吸困难chū xiàn hū xī kùn nán

    develop trouble breathing

Similar words

呼吸不畅hū xī bú chàng: Breathing that feels restricted because air does not pass easily through the breathing passages.
呼吸急促hū xī jí cù: A state of taking breaths that are unusually quick and shallow.
喘息chuǎn xī: A disease or attack in which narrowed airways make breathing difficult and produce a wheezing sound.
窒息zhì xī: A dangerous state where a blocked airway cuts off enough air and may lead to loss of consciousness.

Definition in Chinese

吸入或呼出空气时感到困难，常伴有胸闷或气短的感觉。xī rù huò hū chū kōng qì shí gǎn dào kùn nán cháng bàn yǒu xiōng mēn huò qì duǎn de gǎn jué

Word origin

呼 (hū, "exhale") + 吸 (xī, "inhale") names breathing, while 困难 (kùnnán, "difficulty") marks it as hard, so 呼吸困难 (hūxīkùnnán, "trouble breathing") describes difficult breathing.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this expression sounds relatively clinical, so it is especially natural when describing a noticeable symptom rather than a slight temporary change in breathing.

Other meanings

  • breathlessnessnoun
  • short of breathadjective

Opposites

  • 正常呼吸zhèng cháng hū xīnormal breathingnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word