Chinese word

咧嘴

Pronunciation

Pinyinliě zuǐ

Meaning

  • verbgrin

Example

听到那个笑话，他就咧嘴笑了。tīng dào nà ge xiào huà tā jiù lié zuǐ xiào le

When he heard that joke, he grinned.

Illustration for 咧嘴 (grin)

More examples

收到夸奖后，她不由自主地咧嘴露齿笑了。shōu dào kuā jiǎng hòu tā bù yóu zì zhǔ dì lié zuǐ lù chǐ xiào le

After receiving the compliment, she couldn't help but grin with her teeth showing.

Core concept

A small sideways or open-mouthed smile shows the teeth and hints at playful satisfaction.

Common phrases

  • 咧嘴露齿lié zuǐ lù chǐ

    grin with one's teeth showing

  • 咧嘴露出笑容lié zuǐ lù chū xiào róng

    break into a grin

Similar words

笑xiào: To laugh or smile to express happiness or find something amusing.
微笑wēi xiào: To give a quiet, gentle smile with slightly softened lips.

Definition in Chinese

嘴巴微微张开或向一侧撇开并露出牙齿，表示轻微的好笑、得意或顽皮的笑容，属于口语动词。zuǐ bā wēi wēi zhāng kāi huò xiàng yí cè piē kāi bìng lù chū yá chǐ biǎo shì qīng wēi de hǎo xiào dé yì huò wán pí de xiào róng shǔ yú kóu yǔ dòng cí

Word origin

咧 (liě, "open the mouth to the side") + 嘴 (zuǐ, "mouth") names the mouth shape that produces this expressive facial action.

Usage tips

  • The verb focuses on an observable facial action, so it works well when a speaker reports a person's reaction without naming the person's exact feeling.

Other meanings

  • smirkverb
  • bare one's teethverb

Opposites

  • 皱眉zhòu méifrownverb

Related words

  • 咧嘴笑lié zuǐ xiàogrinverb

Word lists with this word