齜 (chái) - to bare one's teeth & to grimace

齜Tone 2

chái ｜ 21 strokes ｜ radical:

偲嫦

齜 · chái

to bare one's teeth;

to grimace;

to show one's teeth in anger or pain.

to bare one's teethto grimaceto show one's teeth in anger or pain.

Usage highlights

bare teethgrimace showing teethbare fangsteeth

Synonyms

  • 咧— to grin; to bare teeth (in 咧嘴)

Antonyms

  • 抿— to press lips together; to close mouth

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The dog bared its teeth (狗齜着牙).
  • He grimaced in pain (他疼得齜牙咧嘴).
  • Don't show your teeth like that (别那样齜牙).

Collocations

  • bare teeth(齜牙)
  • grimace showing teeth(齜牙咧嘴)
  • bare fangs(齜着獠牙)
  • teeth-baring expression(齜牙的表情)

Idioms

  • Grinning hideously(齜牙咧嘴)
  • Baring fangs and brandishing claws(張牙舞爪 - related concept)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Often depicts negative expressions like anger, pain, or threat in Chinese literature.
  • Commonly used to describe animal aggression or human discomfort in descriptive writing.
  • The character contains the tooth radical 齒, directly relating to its meaning.

FAQ