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哀号 (āi háo) — (noun) a mournful cry, a wailing sound

Definition

哀号 is a noun for a mournful, wailing cry or sound — typically a sustained, pitiful howl of grief, more vivid than 哭 (crying) and distinct from 哀嚎 which is the more common modern spelling for the same word.

noun
a mournful crya wailing sound

Examples

  • 哀号。
    Rén men tīng dào le yuǎn chù de āi háo.
    People heard wails from afar.
  • 哀号。
    Nà āi háo shēng ràng rén xīn suì.
    That wailing sound was heartbreaking.
  • 哀号。
    Tā fā chū yī shēng āi háo.
    She let out a mournful cry.

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.

哀āimournful
号hàowail

“哀” gives the mournful quality, and “号” is the wailing 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
衣
衣yī哀āi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

哀 combines 口 (mouth) with 衣 (yī), which gives it its sound.

Open 哀 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 口口kǒumouth
  • 丂丂kǎoexhaled air; a tiger's cry

The shape 号 comes from 口, a mouth, and 丂, exhaled air or a tiger's cry.

Open 号 →
Appears in
Emotions & Feelings

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