咬牙

yǎoyá
verb #28,631

Meanings

  1. 1 to clench one's teeth
  2. 2 to grit one's teeth (enduring hardship)
  3. 3 to gnash one's teeth (in anger)

Examples

Tā yǎo yá jiānchí pǎo wán le quánchéng mǎlāsōng.
He gritted his teeth and persisted to finish the full marathon.
Tā yǎo yá qiè chǐ de wàngzhe líqù de bèiyǐng.
She watched the departing figure with gnashing teeth.

Tips

usage
咬牙 has two distinct feels: (1) enduring pain or hardship with determination; (2) gnashing teeth in fury. Context usually makes it clear. The fuller idiom 咬牙齿 always means furious rage.

Stroke Order

yǎo