Definition
咀嚼 (jǔ jué) literally means 'to chew' (more formal/literary than 嚼 jiáo). Figuratively, it means 'to ponder, to mull over' — like chewing on an idea slowly and thoroughly. This figurative sense is more literary and deliberate than 思考 or 考虑, and similar to 琢磨 but slightly more formal.
verb
to chewto ponderto think over
Easily confused
- 拒绝jù juésound-aliketo refuse, to decline, to reject
Examples
- ,咀嚼。Zhè zhǒng niúròu hěn yìng, xūyào mànmàn jǔ jué.This beef is very tough; you need to chew it slowly.
- 咀嚼。Tā zǐxì jǔ jué le lǎobǎn de pīpíng.He carefully pondered the boss's criticism.
- ,咀嚼。Duìyú zhège wèntí, wǒmen yīnggāi rènzhēn jǔ jué.We should seriously think over this problem.
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