Chinese word

胸口

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiōng kǒu

Meaning

  • nounchest

Example

他捂着胸口，站不起来。tā wǔ zhe xiōng kǒu zhàn bù qǐ lái

He clutched his chest and couldn't stand up.

Illustration for 胸口 (chest)

More examples

听到坏消息，他感到胸口发闷。tīng dào huài xiāo xī tā gǎn dào xiōng kǒu fā mèn

The bad news made his chest feel tight.

Core concept

A focal area on the front of the chest where discomfort, tightness, or strong feeling gathers.

Common phrases

  • 捂着胸口wǔ zhe xiōng kǒu

    hold one's chest

  • 胸口疼xiōng kǒu téng

    chest hurts

  • 胸口发闷xiōng kǒu fā mèn

    chest feels tight

Similar words

胸xiōng: The body area at the front that surrounds and protects the heart and lungs.
胸部xiōng bù: The complete chest region, covering both the front and the sides of the body.
心口xīn kǒu: A spot in the upper middle of the chest close to the heart.

Definition in Chinese

胸部前面中心附近的位置，既可指身体上的疼痛点，也可比喻紧张或难受时胸部的压迫感。xiōng bù qián miàn zhōng xīn fù jìn de wèi zhì jì kě zhǐ shēn tǐ shàng de téng tòng diǎn yě kě bǐ yù jǐn zhāng huò nán shòu shí xiōng bù de yā pò gǎn

Word origin

胸口 (xiōngkǒu, "chest opening") is formed from 胸 (xiōng, "chest") and 口 (kǒu, "opening"), with the second character indicating a defined area rather than a literal mouth.

Usage tips

  • When the surrounding context describes an emotion, the word can name felt pressure rather than an injury, so a purely physical reading can miss the speaker's meaning.

Opposites

  • 背部bèi bùbacknoun

Word lists with this word