哼唱 (hēng chàng) — to hum (a tune), to sing softly without words | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

verb

to hum (a tune)to sing softly without words

Examples

哼唱。
Tā yì biān zǒu lù yì biān qīng qīng hēng chàng.
He hummed softly while walking.
哼唱。
Tā xǐ huan zài xǐ zǎo shí hēng chàng zì jǐ xǐ huan de gē.
She likes to hum her favorite songs while showering.
哼唱。
Wǒ tīng dào yǒu rén zài gé bì fáng jiān hēng chàng yì shǒu lǎo gē.
I heard someone humming an old song in the next room.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

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

哼 and 唱 are parallel vocal actions, together meaning to hum or sing softly.

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.

口亨哼

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

亨

亨hēng哼hēng

Same sound today

哼 pairs 口 (mouth) with 亨, which gives its sound hēng.

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.

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