啞巴吃黃連 yǎ ba chī huáng lián

no choice but to suffer in silence (idiom)

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. no choice but to suffer in silence (idiom)
  2. 2. (often precedes 有苦说不出yǒu kǔ shuō bu chū)
  3. 3. also written 啞巴吃黃蓮yǎ ba chī huáng lián

Characters

Character Meaning
啞 yǎ
mute; dumb; hoarse
巴 ba HSK 5
noun suffix; to stick to; bus
吃 chī HSK 1
to eat; to consume; to eat at (a cafeteria etc)
黃 huáng
yellow; surname Huang or Hwang; pornographic
連 lián
(used with 也yě, 都dōu etc) even; continuously