Chinese word

缺氧

Pronunciation

Pinyinquē yǎng

Meaning

  • verbbe short of oxygen

Example

登山时他感到缺氧，很难受。dēng shān shí tā gǎn dào quē yǎng hěn nán shòu

While climbing, he felt that he was short of oxygen and was very uncomfortable.

Illustration for 缺氧 (be short of oxygen)

More examples

在高海拔地区跑步容易缺氧，要注意休息。zài gāo hǎi bá dì qū pǎo bù róng yì quē yǎng yào zhù yì xiū xī

Running at high altitudes can easily leave you short of oxygen, so be sure to rest.

Core concept

The body is left with less oxygen than it needs because the surrounding air or its internal supply is insufficient.

Common phrases

  • 在高海拔地区缺氧zài gāo hǎi bá dì qū quē yǎng

    be short of oxygen at high altitudes

  • 登山时缺氧dēng shān shí quē yǎng

    be short of oxygen while mountain climbing

Similar words

喘不过气chuǎn bú guò qì: Being unable to catch the breath fully, often with an uncomfortable, restless feeling.
透不过气tòu bú guò qì: Feeling unable to draw air into the chest, as though the breath is blocked.
呼吸不畅hū xī bú chàng: Breathing with difficulty because the movement of air is not smooth.

Definition in Chinese

表示因环境中氧气不足或体内供氧不足而出现的缺乏氧气的情况，也常作动词表示某人或某地处于这种状态biǎo shì yīn huán jìng zhōng yǎng qì bù zú huò tǐ nèi gōng yǎng bù zú ér chū xiàn de quē fá yǎng qì de qíng kuàng yě cháng zuò dòng cí biǎo shì mǒu rén huò mǒu dì chǔ yú zhè zhǒng zhuàng tài

Word origin

The compound 缺 (quē, "lack") + 氧 (yǎng, "oxygen") directly combines the idea of insufficiency with the modern scientific term for oxygen.

Usage tips

  • The subject need not be a person, since Chinese also uses this verb for an area or environment whose air contains too little oxygen.

Opposites

  • 供氧gōng yǎngsupply oxygenverb

Word lists with this word