扼臂啮指 — “To pinch one's arm and bite one's finger”

扼臂啮指 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to pinch one's arm and bite one's finger”. Signifying a profound, often telepathic, emotional connection, especially between a mother and child, where one's strong feelings or distress are intuitively felt by the other. Literally, “Pinch arm, bite finger”.

Frequency

扼臂啮指 Pronunciation and Pinyin

扼臂啮指 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
扼	è	7	grasp firmly, strangle, seize
臂	bì	17	arm
啮	niè	11	bite or gnaw
指	zhǐ	9	point, indicate, or refer

Example Sentence with 扼臂啮指

曾母与曾子之间有着奇妙的心灵感应，当母亲在家中焦急时，曾子即便在外也能扼臂啮指，感受到母亲的召唤。

There was a marvelous telepathic connection between Zeng Mu and Zeng Zi; when his mother was anxious at home, Zeng Zi, even when away, would feel an intuitive pull, as if sensing his mother's urgent need.

Origin and Story of 扼臂啮指

During the Warring States period, Zeng Zi went out to gather firewood alone. While he was away, a guest came to their home looking for him.

Zeng Mu (Zeng Zi's mother) waited anxiously, but Zeng Zi did not return, and the guest was in a hurry to leave.

Zeng Mu then forcefully pinched her own arm until the pain was unbearable. Immediately, Zeng Zi felt a sharp pain in his arm. He dropped his firewood and rushed home to ask his mother what was wrong.

His mother then told him that a guest was waiting for him.