咳嗽

• Pinyin: ké sou
• Hanzi breakdown: 咳 = 口 (mouth) + 亥 (phonetic) — to cough; 嗽 = 口 (mouth) + 欶 (phonetic) — to gargle, cough

Meaning

To cough; a cough.

The physical action of coughing, often due to illness or irritation. Very common everyday word. Collocates with 干咳 (dry cough), 剧烈咳嗽 (severe coughing), 咳嗽药 (cough medicine).

Examples

1. 他咳嗽了一个多星期还没好，应该去医院看看。 He's been coughing for over a week and still hasn't recovered — he should go see a doctor.
2. 雾霾严重的时候，很多人会出现咳嗽、喉咙痛的症状。 When the smog is severe, many people develop symptoms like coughing and sore throat.
3. 她感冒了，一直咳嗽，晚上都睡不好觉。 She has a cold and keeps coughing — she can't sleep well at night.

Usage Guide

Context: health, medical, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你怎么一直咳嗽？(Why do you keep coughing?)
• 咳嗽的时候要捂住嘴。(Cover your mouth when you cough.)

Don't Say

• 我咳嗽了一下表示同意。(For clearing throat to signal something, use 清嗓子 or 轻咳; 咳嗽 implies illness-related coughing)

Origin & History

咳 (to cough) + 嗽 (to cough, clear throat). Both characters contain 口 (mouth) and together form a complete word for coughing.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal