嘶嘶 (sī sī) — hissing sound; fizzing sound | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Onomatopoeia for a hissing or fizzing sound — used as a noun phrase (嘶的一声) or as a reduplicated adverb (嘶嘶作响). Common for gas leaks, snakes, and fizzy drinks.

noun

hissing soundfizzing sound

Measure word · 声

Examples

，嘶嘶。
Méi qì guǎn dào lòu qì, fā chū sī sī de xiǎng shēng.
The gas pipe is leaking, making a hissing sound.
嘶嘶。
Shé zài cǎo cóng lǐ fā chū sī sī de wēi xié shēng.
The snake made a threatening hissing sound in the grass.
，嘶嘶。
Tā dǎ kāi qì shuǐ píng shí, tīng dào sī sī yī shēng.
When he opened the soda bottle, he heard a fizzing sound.

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.

The hiss 嘶 is repeated to imitate a fizzing 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.

口斯嘶

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

斯

斯sī嘶sī

Same sound today

The shape of 嘶 puts 口 (mouth) next to 斯, which gives the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

口斯嘶

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

斯

斯sī嘶sī

Same sound today

The shape of 嘶 puts 口 (mouth) next to 斯, which gives the sound.

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