TongTong
Sign in

作响 (zuò xiǎng) — to make a sound; to produce a noise; to break a silence

Definition

作响 (zuō) is a literary, written-style verb meaning a sound begins or breaks the silence — typically used to describe natural or ambient noises (rustling, creaking, echoing) rather than speech.

verb
to make a soundto produce a noiseto break a silence

Examples

  • 作响。
    Shù zhī bèi fēng chuī dé shā shā zuò xiǎng.
    The branches rustled in the wind.
  • 作响，。
    Tā tū rán zuò xiǎng, dǎ pò le chén mò.
    He suddenly made a sound, breaking the silence.
  • ，。
    Tā zuò le yì shēng xiǎng, dà jiā dōu kàn xiàng tā.
    He made a sound, and everyone looked at him.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

作zuòmake
响xiǎngsound

作 means make and 响 means sound; together they describe producing a sound.

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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
乍
乍zhà作zuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 亻 comes from 人, meaning 'person', and the right side 乍 gives the sound.

Open 作 →

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 響; 响 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
音音yīnsound
Sound part声符shēngfú
鄉
鄉xiāng響xiǎng
Same sound today

The traditional form 響 pairs 音, meaning sound, with 鄉 to give its pronunciation. The simplified 响 is a later shorthand, so its visible parts are not the historical parts.

Open 响 →
Appears in
Senses

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.