启齿

啟齒

qǐchǐ

verb #26,814

Meanings

1 to open one's mouth (to speak)
2 to start talking
3 to broach a subject

Characters

to open; to start

teeth; to open one's mouth

Examples

HSK 5

难以启齿的事，还是要鼓起勇气说出来。

Nányǐ qǐchǐ de shì, háishi yào gǔqǐ yǒngqì shuō chūlái.

Even things that are hard to say out loud, you still need to muster the courage to speak them.

HSK 7-9

这件事太难开口，他一直不敢启齿。

Zhè jiàn shì tài nán kāikǒu, tā yīzhí bù gǎn qǐchǐ.

This matter was too hard to bring up, and he never dared to broach it.

Tips

usage

启齿 is most commonly used in negative or difficult contexts: 难以启齿 (hard to bring up), 羞于启齿 (too embarrassed to say). It implies that there is some reluctance, embarrassment, or difficulty in speaking.

Stroke Order

启 qǐ

齿 chǐ