悄声 (qiǎo shēng) — in a low voice, quietly (of speaking or moving)

Definition

An adverb meaning 'in a low voice' or 'quietly' — used for speaking softly or moving without noise, often followed by 地.

adverb

in a low voicequietly (of speaking or moving)

Easily confused

悄声。
Tā qiǎo shēng duì wǒ shuō le yí gè mì mì.
He told me a secret in a low voice.
悄声。
Dà jiā qiǎo shēng dì zǒu chū le fáng jiān.
Everyone quietly walked out of the room.
悄声：“？”
Tā qiǎo shēng wèn: "nǐ hái hǎo ma?"
She asked in a low voice, 'Are you okay?'

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.

声shēngvoice or sound

悄声 pairs 悄, quiet, with 声, voice or sound, to describe speaking or moving quietly.

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.

忄肖悄

Meaning part形符xíngfú

忄Written in full as心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

肖

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

悄 is made from 忄, a form of 心 meaning heart, and 肖, which provides the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 聲; 声 is its simplified writing.

殸耳聲

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

殸

殸qìng聲shēng

Same sound today

The traditional form 聲 pairs 耳 (ear) with 殸 as a sound part; the simplified 声 is a shorthand and does not show those original parts.