吵架 (chǎo jià) — to quarrel, to argue | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

吵架 is a separable verb meaning 'to have a quarrel' — split as 吵…架 and counts with 顿. More vivid and physical than 争吵 (a neutral 'argue/dispute'). 吵 alone often means 'make noise'.

verb

to quarrelto argue

Measure word · 顿

Examples

。
Tā men chǎo le yí dùn jià.
They had a big quarrel.
吵架，。
Bié zài chǎo jià le, hǎo hǎo shuō.
Don't quarrel anymore — talk it out nicely.
吵架。
Wèi xiǎo shì chǎo jià bù zhí dé.
It's not worth quarreling over small things.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

吵chǎoquarrel

吵 means to quarrel, and 架 refers to the fight that is made, so together they mean to quarrel.

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.

口少吵

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

少

少shǎo吵chǎo

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

吵 is built from 口, a mouth, plus 少, which supplies the sound. The mouth part matches meanings about noise and quarreling.

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

加木架

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree, wood

Sound part声符shēngfú

加

加jiā架jià

Same sound today

架 shows 木, meaning wood, with 加 giving the sound; it refers to a wooden prop.

Appears in

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