嘈 (cáo) — (onomatopoeia, bound form) noise, clamor; used in 嘈杂 (cáo zá, noisy)

Definition

嘈 is a bound, onomatopoeic piece meaning 'noisy/clamorous' — it doesn't stand alone; it appears in 嘈杂 (cáozá, 'noisy, chaotic'), where it carries the sound-sense and 杂 adds the 'mixed, chaotic' meaning.

(onomatopoeia, bound form) noiseclamorused in 嘈杂 (cáo zá, noisy)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Jiē shàng fēi cháng cáo zá.
    The street is very noisy.
  • 。
    Zhè ge fáng jiān tài cáo zá le.
    This room is too noisy.
  • 。
    Wài miàn chuán lái yí zhèn cáo zá de shēng yīn.
    A burst of clamorous sound came from outside.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
曹
曹cáo嘈cáo
Same sound today

嘈 pairs 口 (mouth) with 曹, which gives the sound.

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