jan2 hei3忍氣忍气
Jyutpingjan2 hei3
Yaleyán hei
Definition
To suppress one's anger or hold in one's feelings.
colloquialemotion
How it's used
Focuses on the internal suppression of frustration rather than just physical breath control. It implies a state of enduring unfair treatment or provocation without retaliating, often highlighting the emotional toll on the person doing the enduring.
Examples
He always has to swallow his pride and suffer in silence.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with physical breath-holding exercises, as it is almost exclusively used in a metaphorical sense regarding emotional restraint.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
