HSK · Level 60
105 words
Chinese word
气息
Pronunciation
Pinyinqì xī
Meaning
- nounbreath
Example
我能听到她的气息。wǒ néng tīng dào tā de qì xī
I can hear her breath.
More examples
厨房里散发着食物的气息。chú fáng lǐ sàn fā zhe shí wù de qì xī
The kitchen gives off the scent of food.
Core concept
The faint outward trace of breathing that can be heard, smelled, or sensed as evidence of life.
Common phrases
屏住气息bǐng zhù qì xī
hold one's breath
听到气息tīng dào qì xī
hear someone's breath
散发气息sàn fā qì xī
give off a scent
Similar words
呼吸hū xī: The act of drawing air in and breathing it out.
香味xiāng wèi: The aroma given off by food or drink.
气氛qì fēn: The atmosphere surrounding a place or gathering.
Definition in Chinese
呼吸时吐出的空气或发出的声音，也指生命存在时能感觉到的气息。hū xī shí tǔ chū de kōng qì huò fā chū de shēng yīn yě zhǐ shēng mìng cún zài shí néng gǎn jué dào de qì xī
Word origin
气 (qì, "air") + 息 (xī, "breath") names what breathing sends outward and therefore can also describe the subtle evidence that someone or something living is nearby.
Usage tips
- A sentence about hearing it normally concerns a breathing sound, not spoken words, which helps separate this noun from the general idea of someone talking.
Other meanings
- presencenoun
- scentnoun
Related words
- 气息奄奄qì xī yān yānat death's dooridiom
- 气息相投qì xī xiāng tóuget along wellidiom