悄悄话 (qiāo qiāo huà) — whispered conversation; intimate private talk | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

An intimate whisper shared only between people who trust each other — a private secret, not just quiet speech. Distinct from 私话 (more formal, 'private words') and 秘密 ('secret' as a noun).

noun

whispered conversationintimate private talk

Measure word · 个

Examples

悄悄话。
Tā men liǎ zài jiǎo luò lǐ shuō qiāo qiāo huà.
The two of them are whispering in the corner.
悄悄话。
Zhè xiē qiāo qiāo huà zhǐ yǒu wǒ men liǎng gè rén zhī dào.
These whispers are only known to us two.
悄悄话。
Tā zài wǒ ěr biān shuō le jǐ jù qiāo qiāo huà.
She whispered a few words in my ear.

Origin

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.

悄悄quietly

悄qiāoquiet悄qiāoquiet

重叠Reduplication

悄悄 conveys quietness and 话 is talk, so the word means whispered talk.

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

肖xiào悄qiǎo

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.

忄肖悄

Meaning part形符xíngfú

忄Written in full as心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

肖

肖xiào悄qiǎo

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 話; 话 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánword

Sound part声符shēngfú

𠯑

𠯑𠯑話huà

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

In the traditional form 話, 言 relates to words and 𠯑 gives the sound; the simplified 话 is a shorthand, so its right side is not that sound part.

Appears in

Communication & Speech

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