打呼噜 (dǎ hū lu) — to snore | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A colloquial, onomatopoeic verb for snoring, based on the sound word 呼噜 (hūlū). It's everyday and vivid — you'll hear it in daily speech more than in writing.

verb

to snore

Examples

打呼噜。
Tā wǎn shàng shuì jiào zǒng shì dǎ hū lu.
He always snores when he sleeps at night.
，。
Zuó wǎn tā dǎ le sān gè hū lū, bǎ wǒ chǎo xǐng le.
Last night he snored three times and woke me up.
，。
Gé bì de lǎo wáng dǎ zhe hū lū, zhěng gè zǒu láng dōu tīng de jiàn.
Old Wang next door is snoring so loudly the whole hallway can hear it.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

呼噜snoring sound

打 means to perform, and 呼噜 imitates the snoring sound, so the meaning is to snore.

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.

扌丁打

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

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

打 uses 扌, a hand, to show an action done with the hand, and 丁 to give the sound.

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

口乎呼

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

乎

乎hū呼hū

Same sound today

呼 uses 口 (mouth) to show exhaling, calling, or shouting, and 乎 gives 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 嚕; 噜 is its simplified writing.

口魯嚕

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

魯

魯lǔ嚕

Same sound today

The traditional form 嚕 has 口, a mouth, beside 魯, which gives the sound; the simplified 噜 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

Illness & Symptoms

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