咬牙切齿

咬牙切齒

yǎoyá-qièchǐ

idiom #31,517

Meanings

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

Characters

to press together tightly

Examples

HSK 2

想到那件事，她就咬牙切齿。

Xiǎngdào nà jiàn shì, tā jiù yǎoyá-qièchǐ.

Just thinking about that incident makes her fume with rage.

HSK 6

观众们咬牙切齿地看着反派得逞。

Guānzhòng men yǎoyá-qièchǐ de kàn zhe fǎnpài déchěng.

The audience seethed as the villain got away with it.

HSK 7-9

他咬牙切齿地发誓要报仇。

Tā yǎoyá-qièchǐ de fāshì yào bàochóu.

Gritting his teeth, he swore revenge.

Tips

history

Recorded in Sun Zhongzhang's (孙仲章) Yuan drama 《勘头巾》: '为甚事咬牙切齿' - 'why do you grind your teeth so?' Already a stock dramatic expression of rage by the Yuan dynasty.

mistakes

切 is read qiè here (fourth tone), not qiē ('to cut'). 切齿 = 'to grit teeth together' uses the 'close/press against' sense of 切.

Stroke Order

咬 yǎo

牙 yá

切 qiē

齿 chǐ