Chinese word

咬

Pronunciation

Pinyinyǎo

Meaning

  • verbbite

Example

别让孩子去，狗会咬人。bié ràng hái zi qù gǒu huì yǎo rén

Don't let the child go; the dog may bite people.

Illustration for 咬 (bite)

More examples

他犹豫了一下，还是咬了一口面包。tā yóu yù le yí xià hái shì yǎo le yì kǒu miàn bāo

He hesitated for a moment, but he still took a bite of bread.

Core concept

Teeth close on something, gripping it, cutting into it, or breaking it apart.

Common phrases

  • 咬人yǎo rén

    bite someone

  • 咬一口yǎo yì kǒu

    take one bite

  • 咬紧牙关yáo jǐn yá guān

    clench one's teeth

Similar words

咀嚼jǔ jué: To chew food slowly with the teeth until it is broken down and easy to swallow.
啃kěn: To gnaw at something hard repeatedly, eating it little by little.

Definition in Chinese

用牙齿夹住或切断东西；也指人或动物用牙攻击他人或物。yòng yá chǐ jiā zhù huò qiē duàn dōng xī yě zhǐ rén huò dòng wù yòng yá gōng jī tā rén huò wù

Word origin

The character 咬 (yǎo, "bite") combines 口 (kǒu, "mouth") + 交 (jiāo, "intersect"); 口 signals a mouth-related meaning, while 交 mainly supplies the sound.

Usage tips

  • English changes bite to bit and bitten, but this Chinese verb keeps yǎo while time is shown by context or other words.

Other meanings

  • chewverb
  • snap atverb

Related words

  • 咬伤yǎo shānginjure by bitingverb
  • 咬痕yǎo hénbite marknoun

Word lists with this word