p8nda
p8nda BETA
Home Dictionary Discord

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

他咬牙坚持跑完了全程马拉松。
Tā yǎo yá jiānchí pǎo wán le 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 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 咬牙切齿 always means furious rage.

Stroke Order

咬 yǎo
牙 yá