哀鸣 (āi míng) — (noun) a plaintive cry, a wail; (verb) to wail, to cry mournfully

Definition

A mournful, plaintive cry or wail — the noun names the sound itself, the verb describes making that sound. Often used for animals, wind, or victims of disaster; more literary than everyday 'cry'.

noun
a plaintive crya wail
verb
to wailto cry mournfully

Examples

  • 哀鸣。
    Shòu shāng de láng fā chū zhèn zhèn āi míng.
    The wounded wolf let out a series of plaintive cries.
  • 哀鸣。
    Zāi qū rén mín de āi míng lìng rén xīn suì.
    The wails of the disaster victims were heartbreaking.
  • 哀鸣。
    Hán fēng zhōng de kū shù fǎng fú zài āi míng.
    The withered trees in the cold wind seemed to be wailing.

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
鸣míngcry out

“哀” describes the mournful quality of “鸣”, so the word refers to a wail or mournful cry.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鳴; 鸣 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 鳴 combines 口 (mouth) and 鳥 (bird) to show a bird crying.

Open 鸣 →

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