嗷嗷叫 (áo áo jiào) — (of animals) to howl, to yelp; (of humans) to cry out loudly, to yell

Definition

An onomatopoeic verb that vividly describes loud, sustained wailing or yelping, used for both animals in distress and people crying out or complaining loudly.

verb
(of animals) to howlto yelp(of humans) to cry out loudlyto yell

Examples

  • 嗷嗷叫，。
    Láng qún zài yuǎn chù áo áo jiào, tīng qǐ lái hěn kě pà.
    The wolf pack howled in the distance, sounding terrifying.
  • ，嗷嗷叫。
    Nà ge hái zi shuāi dǎo le, téng dé áo áo jiào.
    That child fell down and cried out in pain.
  • 嗷嗷叫，。
    Lín jū yòu zài nà lǐ áo áo jiào, bào yuàn wù yè bù guǎn shì.
    The neighbor is yelling again, complaining that the property management isn't doing anything.

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.

嗷嗷howl
嗷áohowl嗷áohowl
重叠Reduplication
叫jiàocry

嗷嗷 imitates a howl, and 叫 adds the crying action, meaning to howl or yelp.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 嗷 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 嗷 →

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

叫 shows a mouth 口 and a sound part 丩. The mouth fits the old sense of shouting.

Open 叫 →

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