呵 (hē) - to exhale & to breathe out
呵 · hē
to exhale;
to breathe out;
to scold;
to laugh;
onomatopoeia for laughter;
interjection expressing surprise or admiration.
to exhaleto breathe outto scold
Usage highlights
to breathe outto scoldto laughto guardto protectto ridicule
Usage & contexts
Examples
- He is breathing warm air onto his hands (呵气).
- The boss scolded the employee (呵斥).
- She gave a light laugh (呵呵笑).
- He is guarding the treasure (呵守).
Collocations
- to breathe out(呵气)
- to scold(呵斥)
- to laugh(呵呵)
- to guard(呵守)
- to protect(呵护)
- to ridicule(呵责)
Idioms
- To nurture and protect carefully(呵护备至)
- Laughing heartily(呵呵大笑)
- To scold angrily(怒呵)
Cultural background
FAQ- Used in internet slang '呵呵' (hēhē) to express a light laugh, sometimes with sarcastic or dismissive connotations.
- The character combines the mouth radical (口) with 可 (can/may), suggesting the act of emitting sound or breath.
- In classical texts, used as an interjection similar to 'ah' or 'oh'.