Chinese word

松动

Pronunciation

Pinyinsōng dòng

Meaning

  • verbloosen

Example

门把手有点 松动，别用力拉。mén bà shǒu yóu diǎn sōng dòng bié yòng lì lā

The door handle has loosened a little, so do not pull hard.

Illustration for 松动 (loosen)

More examples

搬家时发现椅子腿开始松动，先不要坐。bān jiā shí fā xiàn yǐ zi tuǐ kāi shǐ sōng dòng xiān bú yào zuò

When moving, I found that the chair legs had started to loosen, so do not sit on it yet.

Core concept

Something held in place starts to shift when its support no longer grips tightly.

Common phrases

  • 椅子松动yǐ zi sōng dòng

    loose chair

  • 门框松动mén kuàng sōng dòng

    loose door frame

Similar words

放松fàng sōng: Relax the body or ease tension and stiffness by releasing force.
松开sōng kāi: Release or open a firmly held part so that it is no longer tightly fixed.
摇晃yáo huàng: Move with small shakes while remaining unsteady.

Definition in Chinese

指原本固定的部位出现松弛，能发生晃动或位移的不稳定状态。zhǐ yuán běn gù dìng de bù wèi chū xiàn sōng chí néng fā shēng huàng dòng huò wèi yí de bù wěn dìng zhuàng tài

Word origin

松动 (sōngdòng, "to loosen") combines 松 (sōng, "loose") for reduced tightness with 动 (dòng, "move") for the motion that follows.

Usage tips

  • This is a practical way to report a small mechanical problem without claiming that anything is already broken or detached.

Other meanings

  • wobbleverb
  • slackenverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word