侧耳 (cè ěr) — to prick up one's ears; to listen attentively

Definition

A literary/书面语 verb meaning 'to prick up one's ears and listen attentively' — more formal and vivid than plain 听. Used in writing or narration, not everyday speech.

verb
to prick up one's earsto listen attentively

Examples

  • 侧耳。
    Tā cè ěr qīng tīng chuāng wài de shēng yīn.
    He pricked up his ears to listen to the sounds outside the window.
  • 侧耳，。
    Tā cè ěr xì tīng, xiǎng zhī dào tā men zài shuō shén me.
    She listened carefully, wanting to know what they were saying.
  • 侧耳，。
    Guān zhòng men cè ěr, děng dài zhe zhòng yào xiāo xi.
    The audience pricked up their ears, waiting for important news.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

侧cèincline
耳ěrear

“侧” describes inclining, and “耳” is the ear turned toward a sound.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 側; 侧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
則
則zé側cè
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 側 has 亻, a person, and uses 則 to show its sound. The simplified 侧 is a later shorthand.

Open 侧 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

耳 is drawn as a picture of an ear.

Open 耳 →

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