忍氣吞聲

Chinese

		to bear; to endure; to tolerate	gas; air; smell gas; air; smell; weather; vital breath; to make someone angry; to get angry; to be enraged	to swallow; to take	sound; voice; (a measure word, used for sounds) sound; voice; (a measure word, used for sounds); tone; noise
trad. (忍氣吞聲)		忍	氣	吞	聲
simp. (忍气吞声)		忍	气	吞	声
alternative forms		吞聲忍氣／吞声忍气 吞聲飲氣／吞声饮气 氣忍聲吞／气忍声吞 聲吞氣忍／声吞气忍

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): rěnqìtūnshēng

  (Zhuyin): ㄖㄣˇ ㄑㄧˋ ㄊㄨㄣ ㄕㄥ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jan² hei³ tan¹ seng¹
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): ngiûn-hi-tûn-sâng
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): lím-khì-thun-siaⁿ

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: rěnqìtūnshēng
    • Zhuyin: ㄖㄣˇ ㄑㄧˋ ㄊㄨㄣ ㄕㄥ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: rěncìtunsheng
    • Wade–Giles: jên³-chʻi⁴-tʻun¹-shêng¹
    • Yale: rěn-chì-twūn-shēng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: reenchihtuensheng
    • Palladius: жэньцитуньшэн (žɛnʹcitunʹšɛn)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʐən²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰi⁵¹ tʰu̯ən⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jan² hei³ tan¹ seng¹
    • Yale: yán hei tān sēng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jan² hei³ tan¹ seng¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: yen² héi³ ten¹ séng¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐn³⁵ hei̯³³ tʰɐn⁵⁵ sɛːŋ⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ngiûn-hi-tûn-sâng
    • Hakka Romanization System: ngiun^ˊ hi dun^ˊ sang^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: ngiun¹ hi⁴ dun¹ sang¹
    • Sinological IPA: /ŋi̯un²⁴⁻¹¹ hi⁵⁵ tun²⁴⁻¹¹ saŋ²⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lím-khì-thun-siaⁿ
    • Tâi-lô: lím-khì-thun-siann
    • Phofsit Daibuun: lymqie'tunsviaf
    • IPA (Xiamen): /lim⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kʰi²¹⁻⁵³ tʰun⁴⁴⁻²² siã⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /lim⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ kʰi⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ tʰun³³ siã³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /lim⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kʰi²¹⁻⁵³ tʰun⁴⁴⁻²² siã⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /lim⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kʰi¹¹⁻⁵³ tʰun⁴⁴⁻³³ siã⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /lim⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ kʰi²¹⁻⁴¹ tʰun⁴⁴⁻³³ siã⁴⁴/

Idiom

忍氣吞聲

1. to silently eat humble pie; to suppress anger and quietly bear humiliation

   • 太太忍氣吞聲，脫了錦緞衣服，繫上圍裙，走到廚下，把魚接在手內。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     太太忍气吞声，脱了锦缎衣服，系上围裙，走到厨下，把鱼接在手内。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: Wu Jingzi, The Scholars, 1750 CE

     Tàitài rěnqìtūnshēng, tuō le jǐnduàn yīfú, jì shàng wéiqún, zǒu dào chúxià, bǎ yú jiē zài shǒu nèi. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)