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脚步声 (jiǎo bù shēng) — sound of footsteps, footsteps

Definition

noun
sound of footstepsfootsteps
Measure word · 阵

Examples

  • 脚步声。
    Wǒ tīng dào le jiǎo bù shēng.
    I heard footsteps.
  • ，脚步声。
    Bàn yè lǐ, jiǎo bù shēng yuè lái yuè jìn.
    In the middle of the night, the footsteps got closer.
  • 脚步声。
    Lóu tī shàng chuán lái yí zhèn jiǎo bù shēng.
    From the stairs came a burst of footsteps.

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.

脚步footstep
脚jiǎofoot步bùstep
偏正Modifier + head
声shēngsound

The 'foot' and 'step' parts combine with 'sound' to name the noise of walking.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 腳; 脚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròumeat, body
Sound part声符shēngfú
卻
卻què腳jiǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 腳 uses ⺼ for a body part and 卻 for the sound; the simplified 脚 is a later shorthand.

Open 脚 →

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

步 uses two 止 (foot) forms, one reversed, to show one foot stepping in front of the other.

Open 步 →

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 聲; 声 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
殸
殸qìng聲shēng
Same sound today

The traditional form 聲 pairs 耳 (ear) with 殸 as a sound part; the simplified 声 is a shorthand and does not show those original parts.

Open 声 →
Appears in
Senses

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