龇牙 (zīyá): to bare one's teeth

Meanings

1 to bare one's teeth
2 to show one's teeth (in a grin or grimace)

Characters

龇

Examples

那只狗对着陌生人龇牙。

Nà zhī gǒu duì zhe mòshēngrén zīyá.

The dog bared its teeth at the stranger.

他疼得直龇牙。

Tā téng de zhí zīyá.

He grimaced from the pain.

Tips

culture

龇牙 is the action behind QQ's iconic 龇牙 emoji (a wide grin showing all teeth) — among the most-sent emoji in mainland Chinese chat. The collocation 龇牙咧嘴 ('bare teeth and twist mouth') describes a face grimacing in pain or anger.

Stroke Order

龇 zī

牙 yá

Related Words

咬牙 yǎoyá #28,631

to clench one's teeth / to grit one's teeth (enduring hardship) / to gnash one's teeth (in anger)

牙齿 yáchǐ HSK 7 #2,527

tooth / teeth

刷牙 shuāyá HSK 4 #8,032

to brush one's teeth

咬牙切齿 yǎoyáqièchǐ #31,517

to grit one's teeth in anger or hatred / to gnash one's teeth; seething with rage

咬牙关 yǎoyáguān

to grit one's teeth (in anger, pain, or determination); to steel oneself

矫正牙齿 jiǎozhèngyáchǐ

to correct teeth alignment / to get orthodontic treatment / to get braces

洗牙 xǐyá

to have a dental cleaning / scaling / to clean teeth (professionally)

牙齿美白 yáchǐměibái

teeth whitening / dental whitening procedure

牙石 yáshí

dental calculus / tartar (on teeth)

隐形牙套 yǐnxíngyátào

invisible aligners (clear orthodontic braces, e.g. Invisalign) / clear teeth aligners