Taxonomy of meanings for 吹:　　

  • 吹 chuì (OC: khjol MC: tɕʰʷiɛ) 尺偽切 去 廣韻：【古文 】
  • 吹 chuī (OC: khjol MC: tɕʰʷiɛ) 昌垂切 平 廣韻：【吹嘘昌垂切又尺僞切三 】
    • BLOW
      • nabprocessblowing (of wind)
      • viactplay an instrument by blowing into it
      • vieventblow
      • viprocessbe blowing (wind)
      • vtoNblow, blow on, blow at; blow away; puff; play (a wind instrument)
      • blow on so as to set on fire>BURN
        • of animals, blow air in and out>BREATHE
          • viactblow
        • (colloquial) figurative>FAIL
      • 吹 chuì (OC: khjols MC: tɕʰʷiɛ) 尺偽切 去 廣韻：【鼓吹也月令曰命樂正習吹尺僞切又尺爲切三 】

        Additional information about 吹

        說文解字: 【吹】，噓也。从口、从欠。 【昌垂切】

          Criteria
        • BREATHE

          1. The current standard words for breathing are xí 息 "breathe" and hū xī 呼吸 "breathe out and in", and the latter word refers also more generally to taking in things liquids through the mouth, ant. tǔ 吐 "spit out".

          2. Chuī 吹 refers to the blowing out of breath either as part of heavy breathing or e.g. in the playing of music. See BLOW.

          3. Chuǎn 喘 refers to heavy panting, including breathing in and out, especially on the occasion of exhaustion or ill health. See PANT.

          4. Xī 吸 refers specifically to breathing in.

          5. Pèn 噴 refers to the breathing out of air including the concurrent spitting out of liquids or indeed food in the mouth, proverbially rice.

          6. Xū 噓 refers to breathing lightly, in and out, without making any noise, but the focus is often on the breathing out rather than in.

          7. Kuì 喟 refers to the breathing out heavily and noisily, in the manner of an intense and demonstrative sigh. See SIGH.

          8. Xǔ 煦 is to breathe (typically warm) air on something, but the word is much more common in the meaning "to shout".

          9. Hū 呼 occasionally refers to the breathing out of air, also including certain light liquids, but the word standardly focusses on the considerable noise being produced on this occasion. See SHOUT.

          NB: that most words for breathing refer primarily to breathing through the mouth and not through the nose.

        • BLOW

          [GENERAL/SPECIFIC]

          1. The standard word is chuī 吹 (opp. xī 吸 "breathe in") and this word can have human, animal as well natural subjects, and the word can also refer to the playing of wind instruments.

          [GENERAL]

          2. Fēng 風 can very occasionally be used verbally for the wind's "action" of blowing.

          [SPECIFIC]