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呼啸 (hū xiào) — to roar, to whistle, to scream (of wind, vehicles, or fast-moving objects)

Definition

呼啸 describes wind or fast-moving vehicles screaming/roaring as they pass — the sound of motion itself. Unlike 吼 (human shouting in anger) or 口哨儿 (a deliberate whistle), it's the natural whoosh of wind or engines.

verb
to roarto whistleto scream (of wind, vehicles, or fast-moving objects)

Examples

  • 呼啸，。
    Wài miàn běi fēng hū xiào, tiān qì hěn lěng.
    The north wind is howling outside; it's very cold.
  • 呼啸。
    Gāo tiě cóng chē zhàn hū xiào fēi chí ér guò.
    The high-speed train roared past the station.
  • 呼啸。
    Mó tuō chē hū xiào zhe cóng wǒ men shēn biān shǐ guò.
    The motorcycle whizzed past us.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

呼hūcall
啸xiàowhistle

呼 and 啸 both describe sounding out, together conveying a whistling or roaring 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.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 嘯; 啸 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
肅
肅sù嘯xiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 嘯 pairs 口 (mouth) with 肅, which supplies the sound.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Weather

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