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号叫 (háo jiào) — to howl; to yell

Definition

A vivid, onomatopoeic verb for the wild, sustained cries of animals (wolves, wind) or humans in pain. Stronger and more literary than everyday 喊 or 叫, suggesting a raw, anguished sound rather than ordinary speech.

verb
to howlto yell

Examples

  • 号叫。
    Láng zài yè lǐ háo jiào.
    The wolf howled at night.
  • 号叫。
    Tā téng dé dà shēng háo jiào.
    He yelled loudly in pain.
  • 号叫。
    Fēng háo jiào zhe chuī guò shān gǔ.
    The wind howled through the valley.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

号hàohowl
叫jiàocall

号 means to howl and 叫 means to call, giving a howl or yell.

Characters in this word

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

  • 口口kǒumouth
  • 丂丂kǎoexhaled air; a tiger's cry

The shape 号 comes from 口, a mouth, and 丂, exhaled air or a tiger's cry.

Open 号 →

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
丩
丩jiū叫jiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

叫 shows a mouth 口 and a sound part 丩. The mouth fits the old sense of shouting.

Open 叫 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

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