气喘吁吁

1. Basic Information

• Pinyin: qì chuǎn xū xū
• English Translation: Panting heavily (out of breath)
• Idiom Composition: 「气」（Breath or air）＋「喘」（To gasp, pant, or breathe hurriedly）＋「吁吁」（An onomatopoeic reduplication representing the sound of heavy breathing）
• Meaning: An idiom describing the state of breathing heavily or gasping for air due to intense physical exertion, extreme fatigue, or rushing.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「气喘吁吁」 contains the following nuances:

• Physical State Description: It is used to objectively describe the physical state of being winded after activities like running or lifting heavy objects.
• Onomatopoeic Elements: The characters 吁吁 (xū xū) represent the sound of exhaling, which adds an auditory dimension to the visual image of someone struggling for air.

3. Usage

「气喘吁吁」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

• After intense exercise: The most common usage, describing the immediate state after running long distances or climbing stairs quickly.
  • Example:「他一口气跑到了山顶，累得气喘吁吁。」
    （He ran to the top of the mountain in one go and was panting heavily from exhaustion.）
• In a rush: Describes a mix of physical fatigue and urgency, such as when someone runs to avoid being late.
  • Example:「因为快迟到了，她气喘吁吁地冲进了教室。」
    （Because she was almost late, she rushed into the classroom out of breath.）
• Physical frailty: Describes the elderly or the ill who become short of breath after minimal movement, often carrying a nuance of sympathy.
  • Example:「奶奶才走了几步路就开始气喘吁吁了。」
    （Grandmother started gasping for breath after walking only a few steps.）

Additional Examples:

1. 搬完这些重物，工人们个个气喘吁吁，汗流浃背。
   （After carrying these heavy items, the workers were all panting heavily and soaked in sweat.）
2. 送信的人气喘吁吁地把急件交到了我手里。
   （The messenger handed me the urgent document while huffing and puffing.）
3. 看着父亲气喘吁吁的样子，我不禁感到一阵心酸。
   （Seeing my father gasping for air, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.）
4. 虽然累得气喘吁吁，但他脸上依然挂着笑容。
   （Although he was out of breath from exhaustion, a smile still lingered on his face.）
5. 为了赶上最后一班车，我们一路跑得气喘吁吁。
   （To catch the last bus, we kept running until we were panting heavily.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

• The idiom appears in classic Ming Dynasty literature, such as the short story collection Stories to Awaken the World (醒世恒言) and the novel Investiture of the Gods (封神演义).
• While generally a neutral descriptive term, the context can shift its nuance to imply 'hard work and effort' (positive) or 'physical weakness and frailty' (sympathetic/negative).
• The structure uses a reduplicated ending 吁吁 (xū xū). In Chinese, repeating characters like this is a common way to emphasize the vividness of a sound or state, similar to idioms like 小心翼翼 (xiǎo xīn yì yì) for being extremely cautious.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

• Similar Idioms:
  • 上气不接下气 (shàng qì bù jiē xià qì): Literally 'the upper breath doesn't meet the lower breath'; describes being so out of breath that one can hardly speak, often implying a more desperate or severe state.
  • 气喘如牛 (qì chuǎn rú niú): Panting like an ox; describes very loud, heavy, and sometimes coarse breathing.
  • 筋疲力尽 (jīn pí lì jìn): To be completely exhausted and have no strength left.link
  • 汗流浃背 (hàn liú jiā bèi): Sweating profusely, with sweat drenching one's back.link
• Opposite Idioms:
  • 心平气和 (xīn píng qì hé): To be calm and composed, with steady breathing and a peaceful mind.
  • 悠然自得 (yōu rán zì dé): To be leisurely and carefree; a state completely free from rush or exhaustion.
  • 从容不迫 (cóng róng bù pò): Calm and unhurried.link

6. Summary

气喘吁吁 (qì chuǎn xū xū) is a vivid expression used to describe someone who is "huffing and puffing." It is common in both daily speech and literature to provide an auditory and visual image of heavy breathing. It is frequently used with the resultative complement 累得 (lèi de), meaning "so tired that one is..."