嬉闹 (xī nào) — to frolic; to laugh and play noisily

Definition

A vivid verb for laughing and playing noisily together, suggesting lively, playful chaos. Often pairs with 声 to form the noun 嬉闹声 ('sounds of laughter and play').

verb
to frolicto laugh and play noisily

Examples

  • 嬉闹。
    Hái zi men zài yuàn zi lǐ xī nào.
    The children are frolicking in the yard.
  • 嬉闹。
    Tā men xī nào le yì zhěng gè xià wǔ.
    They laughed and played the whole afternoon.
  • 嬉闹。
    Jiào shì lǐ chōng mǎn le xī nào shēng.
    The classroom was filled with sounds of laughter and play.

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.

嬉xīplay
闹nàomake noise

嬉 play and 闹 make noise combine to mean frolic noisily.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
女女nǚ
Sound part声符shēngfú
喜
喜xǐ嬉⁰xī
Same sound today

嬉 has 女 on the left and 喜 on the right; the 喜 part gives the sound and means joy.

Open 嬉 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鬧; 闹 is its simplified writing.

  • 鬥鬥dòuto fight
  • 市市shìmarket; town

The traditional form 鬧 combines 鬥 (to fight) and 市 (market; town) to mean noisy.

Open 闹 →
Appears in
Hobbies & Pastimes

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