叫门 (jiào mén) — to call at the door to be let in

Definition

A colloquial verb meaning to knock or call out at a door to ask to be let in. Distinct from 敲门 (kèquán, HSK 7), which refers to the physical act of knocking.

verb
to call at the door to be let in

Examples

  • 叫门，。
    Yǒu rén zài mén kǒu jiào mén, nǐ qù kàn kàn.
    Someone is calling at the door — go check.
  • ，。
    Tā jiào le jǐ shēng mén, lǐ miàn méi rén huí dá.
    He called at the door a few times, but no one inside answered.
  • 叫门。
    Nǐ qīng qīng jiào mén jiù xíng le.
    Just gently call at the door, that's enough.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

叫jiàocall
门méndoor

叫 means call, 门 means door; calling at a door asks to be let in.

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Open 门 →

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