Definition
咧嘴 (liě zuǐ) means 'to grin' — a wide, often toothy smile. It is more exaggerated and informal than 微笑 (wēi xiào), which is a gentle, closed-mouth smile. 咧嘴 is a separable verb (离合词), so it can split: 咧着嘴笑 'grinning', 咧开嘴 'open into a grin'.
verb
to grin
Examples
- 咧嘴。Tā tīng dào hǎo xiāoxi hòu rěn bú zhù liě zuǐ.He couldn't help grinning after hearing the good news.
- 。Nà ge xiǎo hái kāixīn de liě zhe zuǐ xiào.That child grinned happily.
- ，。Tā liě kāi zuǐ, lù chū le yì kǒu bái yá.He opened his mouth into a grin, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.