磨牙

móyá
verb #21,921

Meanings

  1. 1 to grind one's teeth (during sleep)
  2. 2 to bicker/argue pointlessly
  3. 3 molar tooth

Examples

HSK 3
Tā shuìjiào shí chángcháng móyá.
He often grinds his teeth in his sleep.
HSK 3
Nǐmen bié zài zhèr móyá le, gǎnjǐn zuòshì.
Stop bickering here and get to work.

Tips

usage
磨牙 has two distinct uses: (1) the medical/physical sense of bruxism (teeth grinding during sleep), and (2) the colloquial sense of 'talking back and forth without getting anywhere' - similar to English 'going around in circles'. Context makes the meaning clear.

Stroke Order