呛 qiāng choking
choking; as by smoke; to choke
How to remember 呛: 口 mouth + 仓 granary = choking. The farmer covers his mouth with a wet cloth and runs out of the burning granary, coughing and choking.
Component breakdown
呛 = 口 mouth + 仓 granary
- 口 mouth
- 仓 granary
The farmer covers his mouth with a wet cloth and runs out of the burning granary, coughing and choking.
How it is used
- To choke on inhaled water/smoke/dust - 呛水 (qiàng shuǐ) to choke on water, 烟呛得咳嗽 (yān qiàng de késou) the smoke makes you cough.
- It's about irritation of the airway from the wrong thing going down/in, not choking on a blocked throat (that's 噎, yē).
- 够呛 (gòuqiàng) is a common colloquialism: 'quite unbearable / unlikely to work out' - 这事儿够呛 this looks pretty hopeless.