Definition
啧啧 (zé zé) is an onomatopoeia representing the sound of clicking one's tongue — either to show admiration, praise, or envy (like saying 'tsk-tsk' in approval), or to describe the chirping of birds in literary contexts. In speech, you'll often hear it repeated as 啧啧啧 or placed before a verb like 称赞 and 赞叹 to add vividness. In writing, it can also imitate bird calls.
onomatopoeia
click of the tonguea sound expressing admirationpraiseor envy
on.
(onomatopoeia, literary) chirping of birds
Examples
- ，啧啧：“！”Tā kàn le kàn nà fú huà, zé zé chēngzàn dào: “Zhēn piàoliang!”He looked at the painting and clicked his tongue in praise: “Truly beautiful!”
- ，啧啧。Péngyou men tīng shuō tā kǎo shàng le Hāfó, dōu zé zé xiànmù bùyǐ.When her friends heard she got into Harvard, they all clicked their tongues in envy.
- ，啧啧。Qīngchén de shùlín li, xiǎo niǎo zài zhītóu zé zé de jiào zhe.In the morning woods, little birds chirped on the branches.
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