咽

• 拼音: yàn
• 汉字拆解: 咽 = 口 (mouth) + 因 (enclosed/compressed — denoting the constricted passage of the throat)

含义

To swallow; to gulp down. Refers to the physical act of swallowing food, liquid, or saliva — and figuratively to suppress or hold back (grief, anger, words).

The pronunciation yàn is used for the act of swallowing (咽下, 咽口水). Note: same character read yān means throat (咽喉), and yè means to choke/sob (哽咽). In formal and medical contexts 吞咽 is preferred. Figurative use: 把委屈咽下去 (swallow one's grievances).

例句

1. 手术后她的咽喉部位出现了严重水肿，导致吞咽困难，医生不得不通过鼻饲管为她提供营养。
2. 他强忍着眼眶里打转的泪水，硬生生地将所有的委屈和不甘都咽了下去，转身走出了那扇沉重的铁门。
3. 长期焦虑的人往往会频繁做出咽口水的动作，这是交感神经系统持续激活所引发的一种典型的生理反应。

用法指南

语境: medicine, everyday speech, literature, physiology

语气: neutral

正确说法

• 老人因脑梗后遗症导致吞咽功能严重受损，每次进食都需要由护理人员全程辅助，以防食物误入气管引发窒息。(The elderly person's swallowing function was severely impaired as a result of post-stroke complications; every meal required full assistance from a carer to prevent food from entering the trachea and causing choking.)
• 他把那句话咽了回去，意识到在这个时候说出来只会让局面更加难以收拾，不如等待一个更合适的时机。(He swallowed those words back, realising that saying them at this moment would only make the situation harder to manage — better to wait for a more appropriate moment.)

错误说法

• 她咽了食物进入胃里 — restructure as 她把食物咽下，送入胃中 or simply 她把食物咽了下去; the original phrasing is redundant and grammatically awkward

起源与历史

口 (mouth) + 因 (because/causation — 囗 enclosure + 大 large — something enclosed and compressed, suggesting the constricted throat channel)

文化背景

时代: Modern

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal