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沙哑 (shā yǎ) — hoarse, husky, raucous (of a person's voice)

Definition

Describes a rough, low voice (often from illness, shouting, or a singer's style). Stronger and rougher than 哑, and more about vocal texture than losing one's voice entirely.

adjective
hoarsehuskyraucous (of a person's voice)

Examples

  • 沙哑，。
    Tā de sǎng zi hěn shā yǎ, kě néng shì gǎn mào le.
    His voice is very hoarse; maybe he has a cold.
  • ，沙哑。
    Jīng guò liǎng xiǎo shí de yǎn jiǎng, tā de shēng yīn biàn de shā yǎ le.
    After two hours of speaking, his voice turned hoarse.
  • 沙哑。
    Nà wèi gē shǒu yòng shā yǎ de shēng yīn chàng chū le cāng sāng gǎn.
    That singer used a husky voice to convey a sense of vicissitudes.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

沙shārough
哑yǎhoarse

沙 and 哑 both describe a rough, hoarse voice.

Characters in this word

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

沙 puts 少 (dots) beside 水 (water), showing sand on a shoreline.

Open 沙 →

Most 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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
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.

Open 哑 →
Appears in
Senses

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