咧 (liě) - To grin & to bare teeth

咧Tone 3

liě ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical: 口

嘹林

咧 · liě

To grin;

to bare teeth;

to draw back corners of the mouth;

also used as a colloquial particle.

To grinto bare teethto draw back corners of the mouth

Usage highlights

GrinGrin widelyBare teethGrimace in painColloquial particleOpen mouth wide

Synonyms

  • 笑— smile, laugh
  • 龇— bare teeth

Antonyms

  • 哭— cry
  • 闭— close (mouth)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He grinned widely (咧嘴笑).
  • The child grinned cheekily (咧着嘴笑).
  • Used as a colloquial particle (好咧).
  • The wound made him grimace (疼得他直咧嘴).

Collocations

  • Grin(咧嘴)
  • Grin widely(咧嘴笑)
  • Bare teeth(咧牙)
  • Grimace in pain(疼得咧嘴)
  • Colloquial particle(好咧)
  • Open mouth wide(咧开嘴)

Idioms

  • Grinning from ear to ear(龇牙咧嘴)
  • Baring fangs and brandishing claws(张牙咧嘴)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Often depicts facial expressions, especially smiles, grins, or grimaces.
  • Used in colloquial speech as a sentence-final particle, particularly in northern Chinese dialects.
  • The mouth radical (口) indicates its connection to oral expressions or sounds.

FAQ