哑 (yǎ) — mute, dumb; hoarse; speechless (often in fixed phrases like 哑口无言)
Definition
Literary adjective: 'mute' (unable to speak), 'hoarse' (a voice), or 'speechless' — as in 哑口无言. It is a written/fixed-phrase word, not used in casual speech for everyday 'quiet'.
adjective
mutedumbhoarsespeechless (often in fixed phrases like 哑口无言)
Examples
- 哑，。Tā shēng xià lái jiù shì yǎ de, dàn xué huì le shǒu yǔ.He was born mute but learned sign language.
- ，哑。Zuó tiān chàng gē chàng dé tài jiǔ, jīn tiān sǎng zi yǎ le.I sang too long yesterday, so my throat is hoarse today.
- ，哑。Tīng dào zhè ge huài xiāo xi, tā jīng dé yǎ kǒu wú yán.Hearing this bad news, he was struck speechless.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 啞; 哑 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
亞
亞yā啞
Same sound today
In the traditional form 啞, 口 shows the idea of mouth, and 亞 supplies the pronunciation; the simplified 哑 is a later shorthand.
Appears in
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