咚咚 (Dōng dong) — (onomatopoeia) thud, thumping, pounding

Definition

Onomatopoeia for a heavy, rhythmic thud — like a fist on a door or a pounding heart. It often reduplicates to 咚咚的 + noun to describe the sound source.

onomatopoeia
thudthumpingpounding

Examples

  • 咚咚，。
    Tīng dào nà shēng Dōng dong, wǒ xià le yí tiào.
    When I heard that thud, I was startled.
  • 咚咚。
    Tā de xīn zàng hái zài Dōng dong dì tiào gè bù tíng.
    His heart kept pounding/thumping non-stop.
  • 咚咚。
    Yuǎn chù chuán lái Dōng dong de qiāo mén shēng.
    From afar came the thumping sound of knocking on a door.

Origin

Reduplicated word
构词法gòucífǎ
重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

咚dōngthud
咚dōngthud

咚 gives the sound of a thud; repeating it conveys a steady pounding.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 咚 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 咚 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.