咬牙

yǎoyá

verb #28,631

Meanings

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

Characters

to bite; to clench

Examples

他咬牙坚持跑完了全程马拉松。

Tā yǎoyá jiānchí pǎo wánle quánchéng mǎlāsōng.

He gritted his teeth and persisted to finish the full marathon.

她咬牙切齿地望着离去的背影。

Tā yǎoyáqièchǐ de wàng zhe 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 咬牙切齿 always means furious rage.

Stroke Order

咬 yǎo

牙 yá