扼腕

èwàn
verb #53,065

Meanings

  1. 1 to wring one’s hands
  2. 2 to deeply regret

Examples

HSK 5
Tā niánjì qīngqīng jiù qùshì le, lìng rén èwàn.
He died so young; it is a great pity.
HSK 7-9
Bǐsài zuìhòu yì miǎo bèi duìshǒu juéshā, qiúmímen wúbù èwàn.
Beaten by a last-second winner, every fan was left wringing their hands.

Tips

culture
Gripping one’s own wrist with the other hand was a classical gesture of regret or indignation. Today the word lives in 扼腕叹息 ‘to sigh with deep regret’ and 令人扼腕 ‘deeply regrettable’.

Stroke Order

扼 è
腕 wàn