哀泣 (āi qì) — to weep sorrowfully; to lament with tears

Definition

Literary verb meaning 'to weep sorrowfully' — combines grief (哀) with tears (泣), stronger and more formal than everyday 哭, with a mournful, wailing tone.

verb
to weep sorrowfullyto lament with tears

Examples

  • 哀泣。
    Tā zài mǔ qīn de mù qián jiǔ jiǔ āi qì.
    She wept sorrowfully for a long time in front of her mother's grave.
  • ，哀泣。
    Tīng dào zhè ge è hào, tā rěn bú zhù āi qì qǐ lái.
    Upon hearing the terrible news, he couldn't help but burst into sorrowful tears.
  • 哀泣。
    Diàn yǐng zhōng nà bēi tòng de āi qì shēng ràng guān zhòng wú bú dòng róng.
    The sorrowful sobbing in the film moved every audience member.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

哀āisorrowful
泣qìweep

哀 (sorrowful) describes the manner of 泣 (weep), giving the sense of weeping in grief.

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
衣
衣yī哀āi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

哀 combines 口 (mouth) with 衣 (yī), which gives it its sound.

Open 哀 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
立
立lì泣qì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

泣 pairs 氵 (water) with 立 for the sound. It originally meant tears and later came to mean crying.

Open 泣 →

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