咋呼 (zhā hu) — to bluster, to boast loudly, to make a racket

Definition

Colloquial verb meaning to bluster, show off loudly, or make a noisy fuss — used for someone who talks big or acts rowdy to draw attention, in casual speech.

verb
to blusterto boast loudlyto make a racket

Examples

  • 咋呼。
    Tā zǒng ài zài bié rén miàn qián zhā hu.
    He always likes to bluster in front of others.
  • 咋呼，。
    Bié zhā hu le, ān jìng diǎn.
    Stop blustering, be quiet.
  • 咋呼。
    Tā hē le jǐ bēi jiǔ jiù kāi shǐ zhā hu.
    After a few drinks, he started to boast loudly.

Origin

Single-morpheme word
构词法gòucífǎ
联绵liánmiánBound pair

Two characters that only ever appear together, spelling one ancient two-syllable word.

咋zǎ
呼hū

咋呼 is a fixed two-syllable word; 咋 and 呼 do not carry separate meanings here.

Sound-only characters

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 咋 →

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 →

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