Chinese word

哭泣

Pronunciation

Pinyinkū qì

Meaning

  • verbcry

Example

小孩在角落里哭泣。xiǎo hái zài jiǎo luò lǐ kū qì

The child is crying in the corner.

Illustration for 哭泣 (cry)

More examples

她在楼梯间无声地哭泣。tā zài lóu tī jiān wú shēng dì kū qì

She is crying silently in the stairwell.

Core concept

The outward act of turning sadness, pain, fear, or deep feeling into tears and sound.

Common phrases

  • 无声地哭泣wú shēng dì kū qì

    cry silently

  • 放声哭泣fàng shēng kū qì

    cry loudly

Similar words

哭kū: To cry in an everyday way, showing sadness, pain, fear, or deep feeling through tears or sounds.
流泪liú lèi: To shed tears, with or without making a crying sound.
抽泣chōu qì: To sob softly, taking short, repeated breaths between sounds.

Definition in Chinese

流泪或发出哭声的动作，指因悲伤、疼痛、恐惧或感动而用眼泪和声音表达情感的行为。liú lèi huò fā chū kū shēng de dòng zuò zhǐ yīn bēi shāng téng tòng kǒng jù huò gǎn dòng ér yòng yǎn lèi hé shēng yīn biǎo dá qíng gǎn de xíng wéi

Word origin

The compound combines 哭 (kū, "cry") with 泣 (qì, "weep"), bringing together the two visible parts of crying: sound and tears.

Usage tips

  • The word has a neutral, somewhat formal descriptive tone, so it often appears in written accounts and serious descriptions of an event.

Opposites

Related words

  • 哭泣声kū qì shēngcrying soundnoun

Word lists with this word