Definition

1. Verb:
   • To sniffle repeatedly: To inhale air frequently, producing short, low sounds as if there is something obstructing the nose, often due to a cold or crying.
   • To snuffle: To breathe noisily through a partially blocked nose.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Đứa bé bị cảm lạnh, cứ khìn khịt suốt ngày. (The child has a cold and keeps sniffling all day.)
  • Cô ấy khóc xong, mũi vẫn còn khìn khịt. (After she finished crying, her nose was still sniffling.)
  • Nghe tiếng anh ấy khìn khịt, tôi biết anh ấy đang bị nghẹt mũi. (Hearing him snuffle, I knew he had a stuffy nose.)

Advanced Usage

• "khìn khịt mũi": to sniffle (specifically with the nose).
  • Trời lạnh khiến cậu bé khìn khịt mũi liên tục. (The cold weather made the boy sniffle his nose continuously.)

Variants and Related Words

• Khịt (verb): The root word, meaning to sniff or snort, often a single, more pronounced action.
  • Nó khịt mũi một cái rồi bước vào. (He gave a sniff/snort and then walked in.)
• Sụt sịt (verb): A synonym often used for sniffling, especially when crying or having a runny nose.
  • Cô bé sụt sịt vì bị mẹ mắng. (The little girl was sniffling because her mother scolded her.)

Synonyms

• Thở khò khè: To wheeze (breathing with a whistling sound, often related to respiratory issues, not specifically nasal).
• Nghẹt mũi: To have a stuffy/blocked nose (describes the state, not the action).

Notes on Meaning

• The word "khìn khịt" is a reduplicative form (từ láy) of the root verb "khịt". It emphasizes a repeated, continuous, or softer action compared to the single, sharper action of "khịt".
• It primarily describes an involuntary sound made while breathing due to nasal congestion from illness or emotion (like crying). It is not typically used for deliberate sniffing, like smelling something.

1. xem khịt (láy)