| 吭声 | kēng shēng | to utter a word | |
| 吭气 | kēng qì | to utter a sound | |
| 吭哧 | kēng chi | to puff and blow; to whimper | |
| 吭吭 | kēng kēng | (onom.) coughing, grunting etc | |
| 一声不吭 | yī shēng bù kēng | to not say a word |
| 引吭高歌 | yǐn háng gāo gē | to sing at the top of one's voice (idiom) |
| 1 | He sat there without saying a word. | |
| 2 | For a long time he didn't even utter a sound. | |
| 3 | There was a long time when he wrote his own music without saying one word. | |
| 4 | Simply that 1% of people, when a stranger knocks on the door wielding a clipboard and impertinent personal questions will say: "Yes, you've found me, I am Gay! | |
| 5 | The Mayor seized the arms of the chair, braced his feet with all his strength, and felt an icy void in his kidneys, but didn't make a sound. |