噤 (jìn) · to shut the mouth; to keep silent

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

HSK 3

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.

HSK 6

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.

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

圈 juān HSK 7-9 #1,319

to pen up; to shut in / to confine; to keep enclosed

闷 mēn HSK 7-9 #5,138

stuffy; muggy; close (of weather, a room) / to cover tightly; to keep sealed; to smother / (of a person) silent; uncommunicative; doing something without speaking

沉默 chénmò HSK 5 #3,086

silent; quiet; taciturn / silence; to remain silent

关闭 guānbì HSK 5 #2,087

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

计时 jìshí #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

间 jiàn #590

gap; interval; crack / to separate; to keep apart / to drive apart; to sow discord

久等 jiǔděng #7,468

to wait for a long time / to keep someone waiting

含 hán HSK 5 #5,050

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