痖 (yǎ) - Mute & unable to speak

痖Tone 3

yǎ ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

信嫣

痖 · yǎ

Mute;

unable to speak;

dumb;

silent.

Muteunable to speakdumb

Usage highlights

Mute personMute and deafMute illnessMute signMute poetryMute performance

Synonyms

  • 哑— mute; dumb (more common variant)

Antonyms

  • 言— speak; word
  • 语— language; speech

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The child was born mute (痖的).
  • He remained silent (痖默) throughout the interrogation.
  • This is a mute character (痖字) in the script.
  • The illness left him temporarily mute (暂时痖了).

Collocations

  • Mute person(痖人)
  • Mute and deaf(痖聋)
  • Mute illness(痖病)
  • Mute sign(痖号)
  • Mute poetry(痖诗)
  • Mute performance(痖剧)

Idioms

  • Deaf and mute(聋痖)
  • Pretending to be deaf and mute(装聋作痖)
  • Mute eating huanglian – unable to voice the bitterness(痖巴吃黄连)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically associated with disability and communication impairment.
  • In literature, used metaphorically for forced silence or inability to express oneself.
  • Considered an unfavorable character for names due to its negative connotations.

FAQ