闷

mēn

HSK 7

闷 — mēn

1. stuffy; airless (feeling of poor ventilation)

   房间太闷，我们开窗吧。 fángjiān tài mèn wǒmen kāichuāng ba — The room is too stuffy, let's open a window.

2. to shut (someone) indoors; to keep inside

   下雨了，孩子们都被闷在家里。 xiàyǔ le háizi men dōu bèi mēn zài jiālǐ — It's raining; the children are all stuck inside the house.

3. to smother; to suffocate (cover so breathing is difficult)

   厚厚的被子快把他闷死了。 hòuhòude bèizi kuài bǎ tā mènsǐ le — The heavy quilt almost suffocated him.

4. to cover tightly; to seal up

   把罐子口闷好，防止空气进来。 bǎ guànzi kǒu mèn hǎo fángzhǐ kōngqì jìnlái — Seal the jar tightly to keep air out.

闷 — mèn

1. bored; listless; feeling oppressed or depressed

   今天心情闷，不想说话。 jīntiān xīnqíng mèn bùxiǎng shuōhuà — I'm feeling down today; I don't want to talk.

2. melancholy; gloomy (emotional state)

   他一直闷闷不乐，可能是有心事。 tā yìzhí mènmènbùlè kěnéng shì yǒu xīnshì — He has been gloomy for a while; he may have something on his mind.

3. sealed; airtight; tightly closed (often of containers or rooms)

   这个盒子闷得很，打开时要小心。 zhège hézi mèndé hěn dǎkāi shí yào xiǎoxīn — This box is tightly sealed; be careful when opening it.

4. to seal tightly; to close up so nothing gets in or out

   工人把窗户闷严，防止有风进来。 gōngrén bǎ chuānghù mèn yán fángzhǐ yǒu fēng jìnlái — The workers sealed the windows tightly to keep out drafts.