TongTong
Sign in

哭闹 (kū nào) — to cry and scream; to throw a tantrum

Definition

Crying + screaming together, almost always about a child (or adult acting like one) throwing a tantrum. Implies noisy, sustained fuss — stronger than just 哭 ('to cry').

verb
to cry and screamto throw a tantrum

Examples

  • 哭闹。
    Nà ge xiǎo hái zài chāo shì lǐ kū nào zhe yào mǎi wán jù.
    That child was crying and screaming in the supermarket to buy a toy.
  • 哭闹，。
    Hái zi yí kùn jiù kū nào, zěn me hǒng dōu méi yòng.
    The child throws a tantrum as soon as he's sleepy, and no amount of coaxing works.
  • 哭闹，。
    Bié kū nào le, mā ma mǎ shàng gěi nǐ ná chī de.
    Stop crying and screaming; Mom will get you something to eat right away.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

哭kūcry
闹nàomake a fuss

“哭” is cry and “闹” is make a fuss, together describing crying and screaming.

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
吅吅xuānto speak loudly
Sound part声符shēngfú
獄
獄yù哭kū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 哭 showed 吅, loudly, above a long-haired person; that lower part later became dog-like shapes. Later, 哭 was analyzed as 吅 plus 獄 for sound.

Open 哭 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鬧; 闹 is its simplified writing.

  • 鬥鬥dòuto fight
  • 市市shìmarket; town

The traditional form 鬧 combines 鬥 (to fight) and 市 (market; town) to mean noisy.

Open 闹 →
Appears in
Emotions & Feelings

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