When you take a breath in, that action is called 吸气 (xī qì) in Chinese. Think of it like a vacuum cleaner 'sucking in' air. The first character, 吸 (xī), means to suck or to inhale. The second character, 气 (qì), means air or gas. So, together, they literally mean 'suck air' or 'inhale air'.
吸气 in 30 Seconds
- Commonly used in daily conversation about breathing.
- Often paired with 呼气 (hū qì - to exhale).
- Can be used literally or metaphorically in some contexts.
Fun Fact
The character '吸' (xī) itself is a phono-semantic compound, with '口' (kǒu) indicating meaning (mouth) and '及' (jí) indicating pronunciation. '气' (qì) is a pictographic character originally depicting vapor or steam.
Pronunciation Guide
- confusing the 'x' sound with 'sh' or 's'
- not aspirating the 'q' sound enough
How to Use It
吸气 (xī qì) literally means to 'absorb air' or 'suck in air'. It's used in contexts where you are actively drawing air into your lungs. Think about when you are deep breathing or practicing a breathing exercise.
Examples:
她慢慢地吸气，然后呼气。(She slowly inhaled, then exhaled.)
医生让他深吸气。(The doctor told him to take a deep breath in.)
A common mistake is to confuse 吸气 (xī qì) with just breathing in generally. While 吸气 means to inhale, for general breathing in and out, you might just use 呼吸 (hū xī) for 'to breathe' or just describe the action directly. 吸气 specifically emphasizes the 'in' part of breathing.
Another mistake is using it for non-air substances. While 吸 (xī) can mean 'to suck' or 'to absorb' in other contexts, when combined with 气 (qì) for 'air', it's specifically about inhaling. For example, you wouldn't use 吸气 to talk about drinking a drink, even though you 'suck it in'.
Word Origin
Composed of '吸' (xī) meaning 'to breathe in, to absorb' and '气' (qì) meaning 'air, breath, gas'.
Original meaning: The combination directly conveys the meaning of 'to draw in air'.
Sino-Tibetan, Sinitic (Chinese)Cultural Context
When learning Chinese, understanding words like '吸气' (xīqì) helps you grasp common actions. While there isn't a deep cultural story behind 'inhaling' specifically, the concept of '气' (qì) is fundamental in Chinese thought, referring to vital energy or life force, which connects to breathing as a core function.
Test Yourself 12 questions
Listen to the instruction about breathing.
Listen for what the yoga teacher advises about inhaling.
Listen to what's important in an emergency.
Read this aloud:
请深吸一口气，放松。
Focus: qǐng shēn xī yī kǒu qì, fàng sōng
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
吸气时肚子鼓起来，呼气时肚子收回去。
Focus: xī qì shí dù zi gǔ qǐ lái, hū qì shí dù zi shōu huí qù
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
为了缓解紧张，你可以尝试深吸几口气。
Focus: wèi le huǎn jiě jǐn zhāng, nǐ kě yǐ cháng shì shēn xī jǐ kǒu qì
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
瑜伽教练指导学员缓慢地___，感受气息在身体内的流动。
Yoga instructors guide students to slowly inhale and feel the flow of breath within their bodies. '吸气' means to inhale, fitting the context of a yoga exercise.
医生建议她深呼吸，先深___，再缓缓呼出，以缓解紧张情绪。
The doctor advised her to take deep breaths, first deeply inhaling, then slowly exhaling, to relieve tension. '吸气' means to inhale, which is the action suggested in the first part of deep breathing.
在进行潜水前，教练强调一定要充分___，储存足够的氧气。
Before diving, the instructor emphasized the importance of fully inhaling to store enough oxygen. '吸气' means to inhale, which is crucial for storing oxygen before diving.
当花香扑鼻而来时，我不由自主地深___，沉浸在这美妙的芬芳中。
When the fragrance of flowers wafted in, I couldn't help but deeply inhale, immersing myself in the wonderful aroma. '吸气' means to inhale, which is the natural reaction to smelling a pleasant scent.
运动员在比赛开始前，会做几次深___，以平复心情，集中注意力。
Before the start of the competition, athletes will take a few deep inhales to calm down and focus. '吸气' means to inhale, a common technique for calming and focusing.
为了测试肺活量，护士要求病人尽力___，然后缓慢呼出。
To test lung capacity, the nurse asked the patient to inhale as much as possible, then slowly exhale. '吸气' means to inhale, which is the initial action for a lung capacity test.
/ 12 correct
Perfect score!
Summary
Remember 吸气 (xī qì) means 'to inhale' and is a basic, essential verb for discussing breathing.
- Commonly used in daily conversation about breathing.
- Often paired with 呼气 (hū qì - to exhale).
- Can be used literally or metaphorically in some contexts.
Related Content
This Word in Other Languages
Related Phrases
More health words
一粒
A2One pill; a grain (for small, round objects like pills).
一片
A2One tablet; a slice (for flat objects like pills).
不正常
A2abnormal
以上
A2Above, over (a number)
酸痛
A2Sore; aching (especially muscles).
倒是
A2On the contrary; actually.
针灸
A2Acupuncture; traditional Chinese therapy.
扎针
A2to give an injection
急性
B1acute (illness)
急性病
B1Acute disease.
