龇牙咧嘴

齜牙咧嘴

zīyá-liězuǐ

idiom #47,499

Meanings

HSK 6

他的脚扭伤了，疼得龇牙咧嘴。

Tā de jiǎo niǔshāng le, téng de zīyá-liězuǐ.

He twisted his ankle and grimaced with pain.

HSK 6

门口的狼狗冲着陌生人龇牙咧嘴，吓得他不敢进门。

Ménkǒu de lánggǒu chòngzhe mòshēngrén zīyá-liězuǐ, xià de tā bù gǎn jìnmén.

The wolfdog at the gate bared its teeth at the stranger, who was too scared to go in.

usage

Two faces in one phrase: pain, as in 疼得龇牙咧嘴, and menace, mostly of a dog or someone snarling. 咧嘴 alone is usually a broad grin.

龇 zī

牙 yá

咧 liě

嘴 zuǐ