引吭高歌 (yǐn háng gāo gē) — to sing at the top of one's voice; to express oneself heartily and freely

Definition

A vivid 成语 meaning 'to sing loudly and joyfully, full of heart.' It is purely literary/written — far more formal than the everyday 唱歌.

verb
to sing at the top of one's voiceto express oneself heartily and freely

Examples

  • ，引吭高歌，。
    Tā zhàn zài shān dǐng, yǐn háng gāo gē, jìn qíng shū fā xīn zhōng de xǐ yuè.
    He stood on the mountaintop, singing at the top of his voice, freely expressing the joy in his heart.
  • ，引吭高歌，。
    Wǎn huì shàng, dà jiā yǐn háng gāo gē, qì fen fēi cháng rè liè.
    At the party, everyone belted out songs, and the atmosphere was very lively.
  • ，引吭高歌，。
    Shī rén suī yǐ nián mài, réng cháng zài lín zhōng yǐn háng gāo gē, shū fā háo qíng.
    Although the poet was old, he still often sang heartily in the woods, expressing his lofty sentiments.

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.

引吭stretch throat
引yǐnstretch吭kēngthroat
动宾Verb + object
高歌sing loudly
高gāohigh歌gēsing
偏正Modifier + head

The actions 引吭 stretch throat and 高歌 sing loudly combine to mean belt out a song.

Characters in this word

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

  • 弓弓gōngbow
  • 丿丿piěindicatory stroke

引 is made from 弓, a bow, and 丿, a short slant stroke added at the place where the string is pulled, marking the action of drawing or pulling.

Open 引 →

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
亢
亢kàng吭háng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

吭 is built from 口, labeled as mouth, and 亢, which gives the sound.

Open 吭 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

高 was drawn as a tall building.

Open 高 →

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
欠欠qiànblow
Sound part声符shēngfú
哥
哥gē歌gē
Same sound today

The shape 歌 uses 哥 for the sound and 欠, meaning blow. It came from a form of 哥 used for singing.

Open 歌 →

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