嗟

jiē

口 + 差

Definitions

jiē sigh; also pr. [juē]

Etymology

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

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 差

About

The character 嗟 is a phono-semantic compound: the left-side mouth radical 口 places it in the category of vocal sounds, and the right-side component 差 acts as a phonetic indicator without imparting additional meaning. 嗟 refers to a heavy sigh, a lament, or an exclamation of sorrow, distress, or regret. It is a common word in classical Chinese poetry and literature, where it conveys intense feelings of grief, pity, and melancholic reflection on unfavorable circumstances.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他常常嗟叹生活。

Tā chángcháng jiētàn shēnghuó.

He often sighs about life.

听到坏消息，她嗟叹不已。

Tīng dào huài xiāoxī, tā jiētàn bùyǐ.

Hearing the bad news, she sighed endlessly.

在寂静的夜晚，他独自嗟叹。

Zài jìjìng de yèwǎn, tā dúzì jiētàn.

In the quiet night, he sighed alone.

他嗟叹着过去的错误，无法释怀。

Tā jiētàn zhe guòqù de cuòwù, wúfǎ shìhuái.

Sighing over past mistakes, he couldn't let go.

面对困难，我们不应只是嗟叹，而要行动。

Miàn duì kùnnán, wǒmen bù yīng zhǐshì jiētàn, ér yào xíngdòng.

Facing difficulties, we should not just sigh, but take action.

他的嗟叹声中充满了无奈和悔恨。

Tā de jiētàn shēng zhōng chōngmǎn le wúnài hé huǐhèn.

His sighs were full of helplessness and regret.

尽管成功在望，他仍不免嗟叹时光流逝。

Jǐnguǎn chénggōng zài wàng, tā réng bùmiǎn jiētàn shíguāng liúshì.

Although success is in sight, he still couldn't help sighing at the passage of time.

在人生的十字路口，每一声嗟叹都映照着内心的挣扎与抉择。

Zài rénshēng de shízì lùkǒu, měi yī shēng jiētàn dōu yìngzhào zhe nèixīn de zhēngzhá yǔ juézé.

At the crossroads of life, every sigh reflects the inner struggle and choice.

Related Characters

Component: 口

Component: 差

嗟