Chinese word dictionary

骨鲠在喉

gǔ gěng zài hóu · fish bone stuck in one's throat (idiom); fig. to feel obliged to speak out candidly; sth on one's mind

Practice word

Word information

Simplified骨鲠在喉

Traditional骨鯁在喉

Pinyingǔ gěng zài hóu

Part of speechDictionary

HSK 3.0Not listed

HSK 2.0Not listed

Character breakdown

Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.

骨gǔ

bone; skeleton; frame, framework

鲠gěng

fish bones; honest, upright

在zài

at, in, on; to exist; used to indicate the present progressive tense

喉hóu

throat, larynx, gullet; guttural

How to learn 骨鲠在喉

Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.

When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.

Related vocabulary

Words with the same characters

Compare how a familiar Hanzi changes meaning inside another word.

现在xiànzài

now; at present; currently

在zài

to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress)

正在zhèngzài

to be in the process of (doing sth); to be currently ...-ing

实在shízài

really; actually; indeed; true; real; honest; dependable; (philosophy) reality

存在cúnzài

to exist; to be; existence

在场zàichǎng

to be present; to be on the scene