咏叹调 (yǒng tàn diào) — aria

Definition

A musical term: a solo vocal piece, usually from an opera. Comes from Italian "aria" and is used in the Western classical-music context.

noun
aria

Examples

  • ，咏叹调。
    Tā shì yí wèi zhù míng de gē jù yǎn yuán, chàng guò hěn duō yǒng tàn diào.
    She is a famous opera singer who has sung many arias.
  • 咏叹调，。
    Wǒ xǐ huan tīng zhè shǒu yǒng tàn diào, xuán lǜ hěn yōu měi.
    I like listening to this aria; the melody is very beautiful.
  • ，咏叹调。
    Zài yīn yuè huì shàng, tā yǎn chàng le yì shǒu jīng diǎn de yǒng tàn diào.
    At the concert, he performed a classic aria.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

咏叹chant and sigh
咏yǒngchant叹tànsigh
联合Side by side
调tiáotune

咏 “chant” and 叹 “sigh” describe emotional singing, and 调 means “tune”; the name is an aria.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 詠; 咏 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
永
永yǒng詠yǒng
Same sound today

The traditional form 詠 behind 咏 is made of 言, relating to speech, and 永, suggesting its pronunciation.

Open 咏 →

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 嘆; 叹 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 叹 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words it is 嘆; in others it is 歎.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
歎
歎tàn嘆tàn
Same sound today

The traditional form 嘆 pairs 口 (mouth) with 歎 as the sound part; it shows a mouth letting out a sigh.

Open 叹 →

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 調; 调 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
周
周zhōu調tiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 調 pairs 言 (speech) with 周, which shows how it was pronounced. The simplified 调 is a later shorthand.

Open 调 →

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