惊叫 (jīng jiào) — to scream in fear; to cry out in alarm | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

惊叫 is a verb meaning to cry out or scream in fright or alarm — a sudden, involuntary reaction. Pairs with 起来 (惊叫起来) to mark the onset of the sound.

verb

to scream in fearto cry out in alarm

Examples

，惊叫。
Tīng dào nà ge xiāo xi, tā rěn bú zhù jīng jiào le yī shēng.
Upon hearing that news, she couldn't help but let out a scream.
惊叫，。
Hēi àn zhōng tū rán yǒu rén jīng jiào, bǎ dà jiā dōu xià huài le.
Someone suddenly screamed in the dark, scaring everyone.
惊叫。
Guān zhòng bèi diàn yǐng lǐ de kǒng bù jìng tóu xià dé jīng jiào qǐ lái.
The audience screamed in fear at the horrifying scene in the movie.

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.

The fear in 惊 and the cry in 叫 together mean a scream of alarm.

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.

忄京惊

Meaning part形符xíngfú

忄Written in full as心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

京

京jīng惊jīng

Same sound today

惊 is made from 忄 (heart) and 京, 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.

口丩叫

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.

Appears in

Communication & Speech Emotions & Feelings

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