摇晃

• Pinyin: yáo huàng
• Hanzi breakdown: 摇 = 扌(hand) + 䍃 (phonetic — to shake); 晃 = 日 (sun) + 光 (light — flickering or swaying light; unstable, oscillating motion)

Meaning

To rock; to shake; to sway; to wobble. Describes an unstable, unsteady back-and-forth or up-and-down physical motion.

Used for objects and people: 船身摇晃 (the hull rocking), 站不稳摇摇晃晃 (staggering, barely able to stand), 摇晃婴儿 (rocking a baby). Often implies instability or lack of control, unlike the rhythmic 摇摆 or the intentional 摇动. 摇晃不止 (incessant shaking) is a common intensified form.

Examples

1. 地震发生时，整栋大楼剧烈摇晃，走廊里的装饰画纷纷从墙上脱落，室内的家具和物品也被震得东倒西歪。 When the earthquake struck, the entire building shook violently; framed pictures in the hallway fell off the walls, and the furniture and belongings inside were knocked all over the place.
2. 渡轮在风浪中剧烈摇晃，大部分乘客脸色苍白，几名晕船严重的旅客甚至无法独立站立，只能紧紧抓住扶手。 The ferry rocked violently in the wind and waves; most passengers turned pale, and a few with severe seasickness couldn’t even stand on their own and could only cling tightly to the handrails.
3. 老工程师在灾后第一时间赶到现场，仔细检查了那几根仍在轻微摇晃的受损桥柱，神情凝重地评估着潜在的结构风险。 Right after the disaster, the veteran engineer rushed to the site and carefully inspected the damaged bridge piers that were still swaying slightly, gravely assessing the potential structural risks.

Usage Guide

Context: natural disasters, transport, daily life, engineering

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 飞机在穿越强对流区域时遭遇了剧烈颠簸，机舱内的行李架和餐具随之剧烈摇晃，乘务员立即广播要求所有乘客系好安全带。(As the aircraft passed through a severe convective zone, it encountered violent turbulence; the overhead bins and tableware shook violently, and the cabin crew immediately broadcast a request for all passengers to fasten their seatbelts.)
• 年迈的老人拄着拐杖走在颠簸不平的石板路上，身形摇晃，他的孙子立刻上前搀扶，小心翼翼地护送老人走过这段难行的路段。(The elderly man walked along the uneven cobblestoned path with his walking stick, his frame unsteady and swaying; his grandson immediately stepped forward to support him, carefully escorting the old man through this difficult stretch of road.)

Don't Say

• 他摇晃了头 — 摇晃 implies uncontrolled or unstable motion; for deliberately shaking one's head say 他摇了摇头 or 他摇头; 摇晃头 suggests the head is wobbly or being shaken uncontrollably, which sounds unintentional and odd

Origin & History

摇 = 扌(hand) + 䍃 (phonetic — shaking with the hand); 晃 = 日 (sun) + 光 (light — light flickering or dancing; extended to the unsteady oscillation of physical objects)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal