吟唱 (yín chàng) — to chant, to recite | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

吟唱 (yínchàng) is a formal, somewhat literary verb meaning to chant or recite in a slow, rhythmic, often melodic way — common for poetry, scriptures, and ancient songs. It sounds more elevated and performative than everyday 唱 or 读.

verb

to chantto recite

Examples

吟唱。
Tā xǐ huan zài sì miào lǐ yín chàng jīng wén.
He likes to chant scriptures in the temple.
吟唱。
Shī rén yín chàng zhe zì jǐ de zuò pǐn.
The poet recited his own work.
吟唱。
Tā men yì qǐ yín chàng gǔ lǎo de gē yáo.
They chanted ancient ballads together.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

吟 is to chant and 唱 is to sing, together meaning to chant or recite.

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.

口今吟

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

今

今jīn吟yín

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 口 shows it relates to the mouth, and the right part 今 gives a clue to its sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

口昌唱

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

昌

昌chāng唱chàng

Same sound today

The 口 part points to the mouth, while 昌 shows how the character is pronounced.

Appears in

Communication & Speech

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