Definition
抽筋 is a separable verb (离合词) meaning 'to have a muscle cramp'. The literal meaning is 'to pull a tendon', but it's used colloquially for any muscle cramp. When you need to specify duration or frequency, the verb splits: 抽 can take aspect markers (了, 过) and measure words (次, 下) between 抽 and 筋, e.g., 抽了一次筋 ('had a cramp once'). The subject is usually the body part that cramps, placed before the verb: 我的腿抽筋了 ('my leg cramped').
v.o.
to have a cramp (in a muscle)
Examples
- 。Wǒ yóuyǒng de shíhou tuǐ chōu le yí cì jīn.I had a cramp in my leg once while swimming.
- 抽筋。Tā pǎo wán bù xiǎotuǐ chōu jīn le.After running, his calf cramped up.
- ，抽筋。Bié jǐnzhāng, bùrán shǒu huì chōu jīn de.Don't be nervous, or your hand will cramp.
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