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咬緊牙關

简咬紧牙关 · 繁咬緊牙關

Mandarin · pinyin yǎo jǐn yá guān

(idiom) to grit one's teeth tightly
(idiom) (fig.) to endure pain or suffering; to bite the bullet

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Characters in this entry

咬: yǎo · bite, gnaw
緊: Look up this written character
牙: yá · tooth, molars, teeth; serrated
關: Look up this written character
紧: jǐn · tense, tight, taut; firm, secure
关: guān · frontier pass; close; relation

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–3–2–1 · yao3 jin3 ya2 guan1

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

咬緊牙關 · find source passages ↗ · 咬紧牙关 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ngaau5 gan2 ngaa4 gwaan1

Cantonese word readings for 咬緊牙關. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

verb

to grit one's teeth and bear the pain, to bite the bullet

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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