咿呀 (yī yā) — (onomatopoeia) creak, squeak (e.g., of a door or oar); (onomatopoeia) babble (of a baby)
Definition
Onomatopoeia for two kinds of sound: a creak or squeak (a door, oar) and a baby's babble. Often reduplicated or stretched (咿咿呀呀) for a continuous, drawn-out sound.
onomatopoeia
creaksqueak (e.g., of a door or oar)babble (of a baby)
Examples
- 咿呀。Mén yī yā yī shēng kāi le.The door opened with a creak.
- 咿呀，。Yīng ér yī yā dì jiào zhe, fēi cháng kě ài.The baby babbled, very cute.
- 咿呀。Xiǎo chuán zài hú miàn shàng yī yā dì yáo zhe.The small boat creaked on the lake.
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