噌 (cēng) — (onomatopoeia) whoosh; sound of quick movement; (verb, dialectal) to scold

Definition

Onomatopoeia for a sudden whoosh or swish (a quick movement or short burst of sound). The second sense, 'to scold', is a Northern dialectal verb meaning to yell at someone sharply.

onomatopoeia
whooshsound of quick movement
bound form
(verb, dialectal) to scold
Easily confused

Examples

  • 噌。
    Tā cēng de yī shēng pǎo le chū qù.
    He ran out with a whoosh.
  • 噌。
    Xiǎo niǎo cēng dì fēi shàng le tiān.
    The little bird flew up into the sky with a whoosh.
  • 噌。
    Qì chē cēng dì shǐ guò.
    The car sped by with a whoosh.

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
曾
曾céng噌cēng
Same sound today

噌 pairs 口 (mouth) with 曾 for its sound, to show shouting or scolding.

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