TongTong
Sign in

叫声 (jiào shēng) — sound of shouting or yelling (from people); sound made by animals or birds

Definition

叫声 is the noun for any vocal sound an animal or person makes — covers bird/animal calls and human shouting. The first character is the verb 叫 ('to call/shout'), not the passive marker 被.

noun
sound of shouting or yelling (from people)sound made by animals or birds
Measure word · 声

Examples

  • 叫声，。
    Yuǎn chù chuán lái yí zhèn jiào shēng, hǎo xiàng shì yǒu rén zài chǎo jià.
    A burst of shouting came from afar, as if someone was arguing.
  • 叫声。
    Zhè zhī niǎo de jiào shēng fēi cháng qīng cuì.
    This bird's call is very clear and crisp.
  • 叫声，。
    Tā mó fǎng dòng wù de jiào shēng, dòu dé dà jiā hā hā dà xiào.
    He imitated animal sounds, making everyone laugh.

Origin

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.

叫jiàocall
声shēngsound

“叫” (call) specifies the kind of “声” (sound), giving the sound produced by calling.

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
丩
丩jiū叫jiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

叫 shows a mouth 口 and a sound part 丩. The mouth fits the old sense of shouting.

Open 叫 →

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 聲; 声 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
殸
殸qìng聲shēng
Same sound today

The traditional form 聲 pairs 耳 (ear) with 殸 as a sound part; the simplified 声 is a shorthand and does not show those original parts.

Open 声 →
Appears in
Senses

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.