呻

shēn

口 + 申

Definitions

shēn (literary) to recite; to chant; to intone; (bound form) groan

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 申 represents the sound.

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 申

About

呻 is a phono-semantic compound combining the mouth radical 口, which signals vocal sounds, with the phonetic component 申 indicating its pronunciation. The character denotes a groan or moan, the low, continuous, involuntary sounds a person makes when suffering from physical pain, illness, or deep mental anguish. It functions as a verb, conveying the audible signs of distress without forming actual words.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他在病床上呻吟。

Tā zài bìngchuáng shàng shēnyín.

He is moaning on the sickbed.

病人整夜不停地呻吟。

Bìngrén zhěng yè bù tíng de shēnyín.

The patient moaned incessantly all night.

听到他的呻吟声，我很难过。

Tīng dào tā de shēnyín shēng, wǒ hěn nánguò.

Hearing his moaning sound, I feel very sad.

受伤的动物在角落里低声呻吟。

Shòushāng de dòngwù zài jiǎoluò lǐ dīshēng shēnyín.

The injured animal is moaning softly in the corner.

虽然他很痛苦，但他尽力不呻吟出来。

Suīrán tā hěn tòngkǔ, dàn tā jìnlì bù shēnyín chūlái.

Although he is in pain, he tries his best not to moan out loud.

风雨中的老房子仿佛在呻吟。

Fēngyǔ zhōng de lǎo fángzi fǎngfú zài shēnyín.

The old house in the wind and rain seems to be moaning.

她呻吟着从地上爬起来，继续前进。

Tā shēnyín zhe cóng dì shàng pá qǐlái, jìxù qiánjìn.

Moaning, she got up from the ground and continued forward.

在漫长的康复过程中，他从不呻吟抱怨，展现了惊人的毅力。

Zài màncháng de kāngfù guòchéng zhōng, tā cóng bù shēnyín bàoyuàn, zhǎnxiàn le jīngrén de yìlì.

During the long recovery process, he never moaned or complained, showing amazing perseverance.

Related Characters

Component: 口

Component: 申

呻