Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 呼吸 | hūxī |
| 吸 | xī |
The term 呼吸 is used to describe the full physiological process of breathing, or drawing air in and out. For more specific medical contexts, such as describing shortness of breath, the phrase 呼吸困难 is used. If you are referring specifically to the act of inhaling, you can use the single character 吸. In formal or technical settings, the terms 吸气 and 吸入 are used to describe the specific action of inhaling or taking in breath.
What does it mean word for word?
The single character 吸 specifically refers to the act of inhaling or sucking in air.
Which one should you use?
While 呼吸 is the full verb for the entire physiological process of breathing, 吸 focuses specifically on the inhalation part of the breathing cycle.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the action of 'taking a breath,' Chinese speakers often combine 吸 (inhale) with 气 (air/breath) to form 吸气. Conversely, to express 'breathing out,' the character 呼 (exhale) is combined with 气 to form 呼气.
How do you pronounce it?
hūxī
Did you know?
- In traditional Chinese medicine, the concept of 气 (air or breath) is not just about oxygen, but refers to a vital energy that flows through the body.
- While 吸 means 'to inhale', it is also the root word used for 'smoking' (吸烟), effectively treating the act of smoking as 'inhaling smoke'.
- The word 呼吸 can be used to describe the 'breathing' or 'pulsing' of a city or a market, referring to the rhythmic flow of people and activity.
Examples in context
- 用你的鼻子呼吸。Breathe through your nose.This example shows how to use 呼吸 to give instructions about breathing through the nose.Tatoeba #4845078 by pig8322, translation #4666280 by CK
- 吸一口气，妈的！Breathe, damn you!This example uses the form 吸 to express a command to breathe.Tatoeba #10081608 by ColawithIce, translation #2027626 by halfb1t
- 我總是忘記呼吸。I always forget to breathe.This example demonstrates the use of 呼吸 to describe the act of forgetting to breathe.Tatoeba #13525496 by LeviHighway, translation #4142093 by mervert1
- 呼吸新鲜空气对健康很重要。Breathing fresh air is very important for your health.
- 深吸一口气，然后慢慢呼出来。Take a deep breath, then slowly exhale.
- 跑完了，我喘得很厉害，呼呼直喘。After running, I was panting heavily, breathing heavily.
- 她跑了一段路后，喘着气坐在路边休息。After running for a while, she sat on the roadside, breathing heavily, to rest.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A yoga instructor is guiding a male student through a breathing exercise.
- 雨婷 Yuting浩然，请慢慢呼吸。Hàorán, qǐng mànman hūxī.Haoran, please breathe slowly.
- 浩然 Haoran好的，雨婷，我正在试着放松。Hǎo de, Yǔtíng, wǒ zhèngzài shìzhe fàngsōng.Okay, Yuting, I am trying to relax.
- 雨婷 Yuting感觉你的呼吸变得平稳了。Gǎnjué nǐ de hūxī biàn de píngwěn le.I can feel your breathing becoming steady.
- 浩然 Haoran谢谢，这确实让我感觉好多了。Xièxiè, zhè quèshí ràng wǒ gǎnjué hǎo duō le.Thank you, this really makes me feel much better.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “breathe” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
