滴滴答答 (dī dī dā dā) — (onomatopoeia) ticktock (sound of a clock); drip-drop (sound of dripping water)

Definition

Onomatopoeia for repeated light, rhythmic sounds: a clock ticking or water dripping. Often used before 地 as an adverb (e.g., 滴滴答答地响).

onomatopoeia
ticktock (sound of a clock)drip-drop (sound of dripping water)

Examples

  • 滴滴答答。
    Qiáng shàng de zhōng dī dī dā dā dì xiǎng zhe.
    The clock on the wall is ticking.
  • 滴滴答答。
    Chuāng wài dī dī dā dā de yǔ shēng ràng wǒ shuì bù zháo.
    The sound of dripping rain outside the window kept me awake.
  • 滴滴答答。
    Wū yán de shuǐ dī dī dī dā dā dì luò xià lái.
    Water drops from the eaves are falling with a drip-drip sound.

Origin

Single-morpheme word
构词法gòucífǎ
拟声nǐshēngOnomatopoeia

The characters imitate a sound; their individual meanings play no part.

滴dī
滴dī
答dá
答dá

The repeated 滴 and 答 carry no separate meanings here; they imitate a tick-tock or drip-drop sound.

Sound-only characters

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
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
啻
啻chì滴dī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

滴 has 水, meaning water, on the left, and 啻 on the right, which tells how it sounds.

Open 滴 →

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
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
啻
啻chì滴dī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

滴 has 水, meaning water, on the left, and 啻 on the right, which tells how it sounds.

Open 滴 →

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
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
合
合hé答dá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

答 pairs 竹 (bamboo) with 合 as the sound part; the bamboo top replaced an older grass part by mistake.

Open 答 →

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
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
合
合hé答dá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

答 pairs 竹 (bamboo) with 合 as the sound part; the bamboo top replaced an older grass part by mistake.

Open 答 →

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