噤 (jìn): to shut the mouth; to keep sile…

Meanings

1 to shut the mouth; to keep silent
2 to shiver (with cold), teeth chattering

Characters

噤

jìn

to shut the mouth; to be silent

Examples

听到警告，众人噤若寒蝉。

Tīngdào jǐnggào, zhòngrén jìnruòhánchán.

Hearing the warning, the crowd fell as silent as cicadas in cold weather.

他冷得牙关打噤，说不出话。

Tā lěng de yáguān dǎ jìn, shuō bù chū huà.

He shivered with cold, his teeth chattering and unable to speak.

Tips

usage

噤 is best known from 噤若寒蝉 ('silent as a cicada in the cold'): too frightened to speak up. It also means the mouth clamping shut from cold or shock.

Components

radical

口 kǒu

mouth

口 is the mouth radical on the left. It points straight at the meaning: the mouth being closed, silent, or chattering.

phonetic

禁 jìn

to forbid; to restrain

禁 gives the exact sound jìn and a useful flavor of meaning: 'to forbid, restrain'. A 'forbidden mouth' is a mouth held shut, exactly what 噤 describes.

Stroke Order

噤 jìn

Related Words

噤声 jìnshēng

to keep silent / to hush, to shut up / (to order someone) be quiet

沉默 chénmò HSK 4 #3,086

silent; quiet; taciturn / silence; to remain silent

关闭 guānbì HSK 4 #2,087

to close; to shut / to shut down; to close down

计时 jìshí HSK 7-9 #5,160

to time / to keep time / to reckon by time

监视 jiānshì HSK 7-9 #1,364

to monitor / to keep watch on / to surveil

久等 jiǔděng #7,468

to wait for a long time / to keep someone waiting

含 hán HSK 4 #5,050

to contain; to hold in the mouth / to nurse; to harbor (feelings)

收藏 shōucáng HSK 6 #4,377

to collect (art, antiques, etc.); to keep as a collection / collection; to bookmark/save (online)

保住 bǎozhù #3,940

to keep / to preserve / to hold on to

冷战 lěngzhàn HSK 7-9 #10,337

cold war / silent treatment (between people)