Chinese word

气短

Pronunciation

Pinyinqì duǎn

Meaning

  • adjectiveshort of breath

Example

我一跑就会气短。wǒ yì pǎo jiù huì qì duǎn

I get short of breath as soon as I run.

Illustration for 气短 (short of breath)

More examples

她一上楼就开始气短。tā yí shàng lóu jiù kāi shǐ qì duǎn

She starts to get short of breath as soon as she goes upstairs.

Core concept

Breathing whose usual depth and rhythm cannot be maintained, producing a feeling of effort and too little air.

Common phrases

  • 跑步时会气短pǎo bù shí huì qì duǎn

    be short of breath when running

  • 稍微活动就气短shāo wēi huó dòng jiù qì duǎn

    get short of breath with slight activity

Similar words

喘不过气chuǎn bú guò qì: Feeling so short of breath that deep breathing and steady breaths seem impossible.
气喘吁吁qì chuǎn xū xū: Breathing quickly and noisily in repeated short breaths after physical effort.
呼吸困难hū xī kùn nán: Finding it difficult and uncomfortable to breathe.

Definition in Chinese

呼吸变浅且不能维持平时的呼吸节律，出现喘促或费力呼吸的感觉，可能由体力透支、过敏或心肺问题引起。hū xī biàn qiǎn qiě bù néng wéi chí píng shí de hū xī jié lǜ chū xiàn chuǎn cù huò fèi lì hū xī de gǎn jué kě néng yóu tǐ lì tòu zhī guò mǐn huò xīn fèi wèn tí yín qǐ

Word origin

气短 (qìduǎn, "short breath") combines 气 (qì, "breath") with 短 (duǎn, "short"), presenting breathing as too brief to continue normally.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, symptom reports are clearer when they include when it began, what triggered it, and what other symptoms were present.

Other meanings

  • breathlessnessnoun
  • become breathlessverb

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