Usage of te-form in 異音の原因がわかり、安堵して大きく息を吐く


> 異音の原因がわかり、安堵して大きく息を吐く

Here's my thoughts, can someone tell me whether I'm right or not?

realise cause of the sound > therefore feels relieved > then they sigh.

I thought both these usages of the continuative form were both the usage of
`原因・理由を表す` but I'm not quite sure about the literal meaning of for the last
part.

My main question is whether it expresses causation or merely states the
actions in which they happen.




Your guess is perfectly right. [ **EDIT** for the update: the basic meaning of
continuative forms is sequential occurrence, may or may not imply causality.]

And the last part `大きく息を吐く` describes a motion of deep breath (expiration). I
think English speakers give "sigh of relief", too. Perhaps it's more
understandable in English to merge the last te-form verb chain into one
action, as:

> I breathe a deep sigh of relief, after realizing the cause of the strange
> noise.

It's a common gesture to exhale deeply when you're relieved, as the word
`ほっとする` "feel relieved" comes from the breathing sound `ほっ`. Other idiomatic
expressions of relief include `胸{むね}をなでおろす` (lit. "stroke down one's chest")
and `一息{ひといき}つく` (lit. "take a breath").

