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嚎叫 (háo jiào) — to howl, to yell

Definition

嚎叫 (háo jiào) is a vivid, onomatopoeic verb meaning a loud, drawn-out wail or howl — typically from animals (wolves, dogs) or a person in pain, louder and more sustained than ordinary 叫 ('to shout').

verb
to howlto yell

Examples

  • 嚎叫。
    Láng zài yè lǐ háo jiào.
    The wolf howled in the night.
  • 嚎叫。
    Tā téng dé dà shēng háo jiào.
    He yelled loudly in pain.
  • 嚎叫。
    Shòu shāng de gǒu bù tíng dì háo jiào.
    The injured dog kept howling.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

嚎háohowl
叫jiàocall

嚎 means howl and 叫 means call, so 嚎叫 means to howl or yell.

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kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
豪
豪háo嚎háo
Same sound today

嚎 combines 口 (mouth) with 豪, which gives it its sound.

Open 嚎 →

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
丩
丩jiū叫jiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

叫 shows a mouth 口 and a sound part 丩. The mouth fits the old sense of shouting.

Open 叫 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

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