noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle
gasping for breath; at one's last gasp; on the brink of death
Literary yojijukugo describing a state of feeble, labored breathing, often implying near death. Used in formal or written contexts.
彼は気息奄々として病床に伏していた。
He lay in bed, gasping for breath.
気息奄々の状態で発見された。
He was found in a state of barely breathing.
瀕死 is a more common, straightforward term for 'on the verge of death', while 気息奄々 is a literary yojijukugo emphasizing labored breathing.
A yojijukugo of Chinese origin, combining 気息 (breath) and 奄々 (feeble, weak). The exact historical derivation is uncertain.