Chinese word

哆嗦

Pronunciation

Pinyinduō suo

Meaning

  • verbshiver

Example

他冷得直哆嗦。tā lěng de zhí duō suo

He was so cold that he kept shivering.

Illustration for 哆嗦 (shiver)

More examples

听到突然而来的声音，她吓得浑身哆嗦。tīng dào tū rán ér lái de shēng yīn tā xià de hún shēn duō suo

When she heard a sudden sound, she trembled all over with fear.

Core concept

Cold, nervousness, or fear makes the body or voice quiver in short, uneven bursts.

Common phrases

  • 冷得发哆嗦lěng de fā duō suo

    shiver from the cold

  • 手脚都哆嗦shóu jiǎo dōu duō suo

    hands and feet tremble

  • 吓得浑身哆嗦xià de hún shēn duō suo

    tremble all over with fear

Similar words

发抖fā dǒu: To shake because of cold or fear in the body or in parts such as the hands and feet.
颤抖chàn dǒu: To tremble from cold or emotion, with a somewhat formal tone when describing a body or voice.

Definition in Chinese

口语中表示因寒冷、紧张或害怕而出现的短促颤抖，常用于形容身体或声音的抖动。动词。kóu yǔ zhōng biǎo shì yīn hán lěng jǐn zhāng huò hài pà ér chū xiàn de duǎn cù chàn dǒu cháng yòng yú xíng róng shēn tǐ huò shēng yīn de dǒu dòng dòng cí

Word origin

哆嗦 (duōsuo, "shiver") uses a repeated sound pattern rather than the separate meanings of its characters to suggest stop-start trembling.

Usage tips

  • The pattern with 得 (de, "to the extent that") and 直 (zhí, "continuously") emphasizes duration, so the sentence describes a reaction that keeps happening instead of one brief movement.

Other meanings

  • tremble with fearverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word