About
The character 噤 (jìn) is a phono-semantic compound. Its semantic component is the mouth radical 口 (kǒu) on the left, indicating the category of meaning, while its phonetic component is 禁 (jìn, "to forbid") on the right. This structure reflects the character's core meaning: to keep one's mouth shut or to be completely silent. The sense extends to being unable to speak due to severe cold, fear, or illness, conveying a forced restriction of voice that echoes the prohibitive sense of its phonetic element.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
大家请噤声。
他突然噤声不语。
一阵冷风让他打寒噤。
在恐怖片中，她吓得直打寒噤。
老师严厉的目光使学生们立刻噤声。
由于气氛紧张，所有人都噤声等待结果。
他本想发言，但看到众人的表情后便噤声了。
在法庭上，证人被警告后不得不噤声，以免影响审判。