呼啦 (hū lā) — (onomatopoeia) sound of flapping, rustling, or a sudden rush; (onomatopoeia) sound of a crowd moving or acting in unison

Definition

An onomatopoeia for sudden swishing, flapping, or rustling sounds — flags in wind, leaves, or a crowd surging at once. Often reduplicated (呼啦呼啦) or paired with 响 to intensify the noise.

onomatopoeia
sound of flappingrustlingor a sudden rushsound of a crowd moving or acting in unison

Examples

  • ，呼啦。
    Yí zhèn fēng chuī guò, qí zhì hū lā xiǎng le qǐ lái.
    A gust of wind blew by, and the flag flapped noisily.
  • 呼啦。
    Shù yè bèi fēng chuī dé hū lā xiǎng.
    The leaves rustled loudly in the wind.
  • ，呼啦。
    Mén yì kāi, rén qún hū lā yí xià quán chōng le chū qù.
    As soon as the door opened, the crowd rushed out all at once.

Origin

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
乎
乎hū呼hū
Same sound today

呼 uses 口 (mouth) to show exhaling, calling, or shouting, and 乎 gives the sound.

Open 呼 →

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
拉
拉lā啦la
Same sound today

啦 pairs 口 (mouth) with 拉, which gives the pronunciation lā. The 口 part points to the mouth.

Open 啦 →

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