呼吸

• Pinyin: hū xī
• Hanzi breakdown: 呼 = 口 (mouth) + 乎 (phonetic) — to call out or exhale; 吸 = 口 (mouth) + 及 (reach) — to draw in breath

Meaning

To breathe; breathing; respiration. The act of taking in and letting out air through the lungs.

Used both literally for the physical act of breathing and figuratively, as in 呼吸新鲜空气 (breathe fresh air). Common in medical, exercise, and meditation contexts. Collocations include 深呼吸 (deep breath), 呼吸困难 (difficulty breathing), and 呼吸系统 (respiratory system).

Examples

1. 医生让他做几次深呼吸。 The doctor told him to take a few deep breaths.
2. 空气太差了，呼吸都觉得不舒服。 The air quality is too poor; it feels uncomfortable just breathing.
3. 跑完步以后他的呼吸变得很快。 After finishing his run, his breathing became very rapid.

Usage Guide

Context: health, exercise, everyday

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 请慢慢深呼吸。(Please take a slow deep breath.)
• 到山上去呼吸新鲜空气吧。(Let's go to the mountains to breathe fresh air.)

Don't Say

• 我呼吸了一杯水 (Don't use 呼吸 for drinking — use 喝; 呼吸 is only for air, not liquids)

Origin & History

呼 (hū, to exhale/call out) + 吸 (xī, to inhale) — combining 'exhale' and 'inhale' to represent the complete cycle of breathing.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal