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警钟 (jǐng zhōng) — alarm bell; (figurative) warning signal, wake-up call

Definition

Literally 'alarm bell' — the bell itself, but most often used figuratively as a warning that demands attention. 比 警报 more concrete and image-driven; 警报 is the abstract warning system or signal.

noun
alarm bell(figurative) warning signalwake-up call
Measure word · 口

Examples

  • 警钟。
    Zhè cì shī bài gěi wǒ men qiāo xiǎng le jǐng zhōng.
    This failure sounded an alarm bell for us.
  • 警钟。
    Huán jìng è huà yǐ jīng qiāo xiǎng le shēng tài jǐng zhōng.
    Environmental degradation has already sounded an ecological alarm bell.
  • 警钟。
    Nà zuò gǔ tǎ shàng guà zhe yì kǒu tóng zhì jǐng zhōng.
    A copper alarm bell hangs on that ancient pagoda.

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.

警jǐngwarning
钟zhōngbell

警 gives the sense of warning and 钟 names the bell, so the idea is a bell sounded as a warning.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspoken language, speech
Sound part声符shēngfú
敬
敬jìng警
Same sound today

警 places 言 (speech) below 敬; 敬 gives the sound.

Open 警 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 钟 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Safety & Danger

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