佳音 (jiā yīn) — good news, welcome news

Definition

A literary, formal term for 'good news' — used in writing or announcements, more elevated than everyday 好消息. Often appears in set phrases like 喜讯传来.

noun

good newswelcome news

佳音。
Wǒ shōu dào le yí gè jiā yīn.
I received a piece of good news.
佳音，。
Cóng yuǎn fāng chuán lái jiā yīn, ràng wǒ fēi cháng gāo xìng.
Good news came from afar, making me very happy.
佳音，。
Zhè ge xiāo xi zhēn shì jiā yīn, wǒ men dōu hěn jī dòng.
This news is really good tidings — we are all excited.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

佳 means good, and 音 refers to sound or message; together they mean good tidings.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

人人rénman; person

Sound part声符shēngfú

圭

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

佳 combines 人 (person) with 圭, which is used for the sound guī.

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

音 adds a short stroke that seals the mouth-like part, showing a covered or muffled sound rather than speech.