noun
difficult breathing; heavy breathing; gasping
Describes labored, painful, or gasping breath, often due to exertion, illness, or emotional distress.
彼は走った後、片息で話した。
After running, he spoke with labored breathing.
熱で片息が苦しそうだ。
His breathing seems painful because of the fever.
息切れ refers to shortness of breath or being out of breath, often from exertion, while 片息 emphasizes the labored or gasping quality of the breathing itself.
呼吸困難 is a formal medical term for dyspnea or breathing difficulty, whereas 片息 is a more literary or descriptive word for heavy, painful breathing.
The exact derivation is uncertain. The kanji 片 (one side, fragment) and 息 (breath) suggest a sense of uneven or partial breathing, while the alternate spelling 肩息 (shoulder breath) may reflect the physical heaving of shoulders during labored breathing.