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刺耳 (cì ěr) — ear-piercing, grating, shrill (of sound)

Definition

刺耳 describes a sound that is harsh and unpleasant to hear — ear-piercing, grating. Compared with 尖锐, which can also describe sharp blades or pointed criticism, 刺耳 is used only for sound and emphasizes discomfort.

adjective
ear-piercinggratingshrill (of sound)

Examples

  • 刺耳。
    Zhè zhǒng jī qì fā chū de shēng yīn fēi cháng cì ěr.
    The sound this machine makes is very ear-piercing.
  • 刺耳，。
    Tā shuō huà de shēng yīn hěn cì ěr, ràng rén bù shū fu.
    His speaking voice is very grating and makes people uncomfortable.
  • 刺耳，。
    Bié fàng nà me cì ěr de yīn yuè, huì yǐng xiǎng lín jū.
    Don't play such ear-piercing music; it will disturb the neighbors.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

刺cìprick
耳ěrear

刺 and 耳 combine as prick plus ear, describing a sound that seems to pierce the ear.

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
刂Written in full as刀dāoknife
Sound part声符shēngfú
朿
朿cì刺cì
Same sound today

刺 pairs 刂 (knife) with 朿, which gives the sound; the knife part fits actions like stabbing or pricking.

Open 刺 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Senses

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