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耳聋 (ěr lóng) — to be deaf

Definition

耳聋 (ěr lóng) means 'deaf' or 'hearing-impaired' — the literal 'ear-deaf' is used as a stative verb/adjective for hearing loss. It describes the condition, not the cultural identity (for which 聋人 is preferred).

verb
to be deaf

Examples

  • ，耳聋。
    Tā cóng xiǎo shēng bìng, hòu lái jiù ěr lóng le.
    He got sick as a child and later became deaf.
  • 耳聋。
    ěr lóng De rén kě yǐ yòng shǒu yǔ hé bié rén jiāo liú.
    Deaf people can communicate with others using sign language.
  • ，耳聋。
    Wǒ yé ye nián jì dà le, yǒu diǎn ěr lóng.
    My grandfather is old and a bit deaf.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

耳ěrear
聋lóngdeaf

耳 means ear, and 聋 means deaf, describing an ear that is deaf.

Characters in this word

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

耳 is drawn as a picture of an ear.

Open 耳 →

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 聾; 聋 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
龍
龍lóng聾lóng
Same sound today

The traditional form 聾 pairs 耳 (ear) with 龍 (lóng) as the sound part.

Open 聋 →
Appears in
Injury & Disability

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