Meaning of 叹气
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to sigh
- to heave a sigh
How to use 叹气
叹气 is a separable verb, so you can put words in the middle, like 叹了一口气 (tàn le yì kǒu qì), "heaved a sigh." It often shows tiredness, worry, or disappointment. Example: 他看着成绩单叹了一口气。(Tā kànzhe chéngjìdān tàn le yì kǒu qì.) He looked at his report card and sighed.
叹 (tàn) has 口 (mouth) on the left, and 气 (qì) means breath or air. Picture your mouth letting out a long breath of air, and you have a sigh.
Common mistake: Learners often write 他叹气了一口, but the measure phrase goes between the two parts: 叹了一口气. Also keep the fourth tone on 叹 (tàn) and do not confuse it with 谈 (tán, to talk), which has a second tone and the 讠 speech radical.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
叹 tàn · to sigh · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
气 qì · gas · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 叹气.
| 生气 | shēngqì | to get angry; to be furious; vitality; liveliness |
| 天气 | tiānqì | weather |
| 不客气 | bù kèqì | you're welcome; don't mention it |
| 空气 | kōngqì | air; atmosphere |
| 气温 | qìwēn | air temperature |
| 气候 | qìhòu | (meteorology) climate; (fig.) climate; prevailing conditions (in human affairs) |
| 运气 | yùnqi | luck (good or bad) |
| 勇气 | yǒngqì | courage |
| 力气 | lìqi | physical strength |
| 气球 | qìqiú | balloon |
| 暖气 | nuǎnqì | central heating; heater |
| 客气 | kèqi | polite; courteous |
Questions about 叹气
What does 叹气 mean?
叹气 (tànqì) means "to sigh; to heave a sigh".
How do you write 叹气?
叹气 is made of 2 characters: 叹 (5 strokes), 气 (4 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 叹气 an HSK word?
Yes. 叹气 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 叹气 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 叹气 is written 嘆氣.
What is the difference between 叹气 and 叹息?
Both mean to sigh. 叹气 is common in everyday speech, while 叹息 (tànxī) sounds more literary and is used more in writing.
How do I tell someone not to sigh in Chinese?
You can say 别叹气了 (bié tànqì le), "stop sighing." People often add something encouraging after it, like 别叹气了，会好起来的 (bié tànqì le, huì hǎo qǐlái de), "stop sighing, things will get better."