男高音 (nán gāo yīn) — tenor (voice)

Definition

A male classical singing voice, the highest standard adult male range. Used mainly in opera and choral music, distinct from 女高音 (soprano).

noun
tenor (voice)

Examples

  • 男高音。
    Zhè wèi nán gāo yīn de shēng yīn fēi cháng hóng liàng.
    This tenor's voice is very resonant.
  • 男高音。
    Tā zài gē jù zhōng bàn yǎn nán gāo yīn jué sè.
    He plays the tenor role in the opera.
  • 男高音。
    Hé chàng tuán xū yào yì míng nán gāo yīn.
    The choir needs a tenor.

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.

高音high voice
高gāohigh音yīnvoice
偏正Modifier + head

男 marks the male voice type, while 高 and 音 give the high pitch.

Characters in this word

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

男 is made from 田, a field, and 力, strength. It shows a man working with strength in a field.

Open 男 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

高 was drawn as a tall building.

Open 高 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

音 adds a short stroke that seals the mouth-like part, showing a covered or muffled sound rather than speech.

Open 音 →
Appears in

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