瘖 (yīn) - Mute & unable to speak

瘖Tone 1

yīn ｜ 14 strokes ｜ radical:

懿嘤

瘖 · yīn

Mute;

unable to speak;

silent;

dumb.

Muteunable to speaksilent

Usage highlights

Mute conditionMute and deafCongenital mutenessMute personSilent and speechlessLose speech ability

Synonyms

  • 哑— mute, dumb (more common modern term)
  • 喑— silent, mute (variant character)

Antonyms

  • 言— speak, speech
  • 语— language, speech
  • 说— speak, talk

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He was born mute (生而瘖).
  • The illness left him speechless (因病致瘖).
  • She remained silent throughout the meeting (会议中保持瘖默).
  • Ancient texts refer to mute conditions (古籍称瘖症).

Collocations

  • Mute condition(瘖症)
  • Mute and deaf(瘖聋)
  • Congenital muteness(先天瘖)
  • Mute person(瘖者)
  • Silent and speechless(瘖默)
  • Lose speech ability(失语成瘖)

Idioms

  • Deaf and mute(聋聩瘖哑)
  • Silent as if mute(如瘖不言)
  • Mute eating bitter herb — cannot speak of suffering(瘖食黄连)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, '瘖' refers to loss of speech ability, often associated with throat or neurological disorders.
  • Historically used in classical texts to describe conditions where a person cannot speak, either from birth or due to illness.
  • Sometimes appears in literary contexts to describe voluntary silence or inability to express oneself.

FAQ