Definitions

sneeze

Etymology phono-semantic

mouth

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "嚏", representing the physical act of sneezing, is structurally composed of the mouth radical "口" paired with the component "虒", which primarily functions as a phonetic indicator for its pronunciation. Its etymology consistently links it to the expulsion of air from the nose and mouth, a definition maintained from early textual appearances through to modern usage, with the mouth radical logically denoting the involved bodily organ. The character has been stably employed in classical contexts and compound formations like "喷嚏", with its semantic focus on sneezing remaining uninterrupted over time, reflecting a persistent conceptual alignment between its form and meaning.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我打喷了。

Wǒ dǎ pēntì le.

I sneezed.

他连续打喷

Tā liánxù dǎ pēntì.

He sneezes continuously.

打喷时要捂住口鼻。

Dǎ pēntì shí yào wǔ zhù kǒu bí.

When sneezing, cover your mouth and nose.

感冒会引起打喷

Gǎnmào huì yǐnqǐ dǎ pēntì.

A cold can cause sneezing.

他对花粉过敏,总是打喷

Tā duì huāfěn guòmǐn, zǒngshì dǎ pēntì.

He is allergic to pollen and always sneezes.

突然打喷可能吓到别人。

Tūrán dǎ pēntì kěnéng xià dào biérén.

Suddenly sneezing might scare others.

她忍住了一个喷,但很难受。

Tā rěn zhùle yīgè pēntì, dàn hěn nánshòu.

She held back a sneeze but felt very uncomfortable.

在公共场合打喷应该用纸巾遮住。

Zài gōnggòng chǎnghé dǎ pēntì yīnggāi yòng zhǐjīn zhē zhù.

When sneezing in public, one should use a tissue to cover.