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尷尬. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
尷尬, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
尷尬 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
尷尬 you have here. The definition of the word
尷尬 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
尷尬, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Chinese
Etymology
The original form, 尲尬 (OC *kreːm kreːds), was first attested in the 2nd century CE in the ancient dictionary of Shuowen and was discernibly an ideophonic, disyllabic word of reduplicative nature (連綿詞).
The term 尲尬 seemed to have fallen into disuse by medieval times, except dialectally, in the Wu region. The dialectal form of it was revived in literature in the form of 尷尬 since the Yuan dynasty, and the colloquial Mandarin pronunciation gāngà was borrowed thence.
Pronunciation
Adjective
尷尬
- (of a situation or person) awkward; embarrassing; uncomfortable
- 尷尬場面/尴尬场面 ― gāngà chǎngmiàn ― embarrassing scene
- 尷尬出局/尴尬出局 ― gāngà chūjú ― to be embarrassingly eliminated
他正處於跋前疐後的尷尬局面。 [MSC, trad.]
他正处于跋前疐后的尴尬局面。 [MSC, simp.]- Tā zhèng chǔyú báqiánzhìhòu de gāngà júmiàn.
- He is in a difficult dilemma.
- (of a person) embarrassed; uneasy; sheepish; flustered
- 神情尷尬/神情尴尬 ― shénqíng gāngà ― to have an embarrassed look
- (dated, of a person) unusual; sneaky; strange
- (Eastern Min) impoverished; poor
- (Hakka) irresolute; unreasonable
Synonyms
- (awkward): 困窘 (kùnjiǒng), 狼狽/狼狈 (lángbèi), 難堪/难堪 (nánkān), 為難/为难 (wéinán); (Hokkien) 疑騃/疑𫘤
Derived terms