after a short pause; after taking a breath
Used when someone pauses briefly before speaking or acting, often to collect their thoughts or calm down.
After a short pause, he began to speak slowly.
Before an important conversation, let's take a breath and calm down.
Similar meaning of pausing, but 一呼吸置いて specifically implies a single breath's length of pause, often for composure.
Standard kanji spelling using 置く.
Variant with おいて in kana; common in everyday writing.
Phrase composed of 一呼吸 (one breath) + 置いて (te-form of 置く, to place/put), literally 'placing one breath', meaning to take a moment's pause.