Chinese word

晃

Pronunciation

Pinyinhuàng

Meaning

  • verbsway

Example

晃了一下，杯子差点倒了。huàng le yí xià bēi zi chà diǎn dǎo le

It swayed once, and the cup almost tipped over.

Illustration for 晃 (sway)

More examples

晚上的风把窗户吹得晃来晃去，吵得我睡不着。wǎn shàng de fēng bǎ chuāng hù chuī de huǎng lái huǎng qù chǎo de wǒ shuì bù zhe

The evening wind blew the window back and forth, and the noise kept me from sleeping.

Core concept

A quick, visible wobble produced when a stable position is disturbed.

Common phrases

  • 晃了一下huǎng le yí xià

    sway once

  • 被车晃得厉害bèi chē huǎng de lì hài

    be shaken badly by the vehicle

  • 晃来晃去huǎng lái huǎng qù

    sway back and forth

Similar words

摇yáo: Make a person or thing move from side to side with force.
摆动bǎi dòng: Move back and forth again and again in a large, slow swing.
震动zhèn dòng: Vibrate and shake violently over a broad area after a strong impact or force.
颤抖chàn dǒu: Shake with small, quick movements caused by a slight vibration.

Definition in Chinese

（人或物）短暂或突然地摇动，常指一瞬间重心不稳或受外力导致的晃动。rén huò wù duǎn zàn huò tū rán dì yáo dòng cháng zhǐ yí shùn jiān zhòng xīn bù wěn huò shòu wài lì dǎo zhì de huàng dòng

Word origin

晃 (huǎng, "sway") is formed from 日 (rì, "sun") + 光 (guāng, "light"); the older brightness sense developed toward dazzled sight and then temporary physical unsteadiness.

Usage tips

  • When the subject is a person or an object, the word highlights the instant of instability, which helps separate this everyday expression from descriptions of regular or controlled movement.

Other meanings

  • shakeverb
  • wobbleverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 晃动huàng dòngswayverb
  • 晃悠huàng yōusway unsteadilyverb

Word lists with this word