掌声 (zhǎng shēng) — applause | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

applause

Measure word · 阵

Examples

掌声。
Yí zhèn rè liè de zhǎng shēng cóng tái xià xiǎng qǐ.
A burst of warm applause rose from the audience.
掌声。
Tā de biǎo yǎn huò dé le dà jiā de zhǎng shēng.
His performance received everyone's applause.
，掌声。
Yǎn chū jié shù hòu, zhǎng shēng hěn jiǔ bù tíng.
After the performance ended, the applause lasted a long time.

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.

掌zhǎngpalm/hand

掌 gives the idea of hands and 声 the sound they make, so the word means applause.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

尚

尚shàng掌zhǎng

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

It combines 手, meaning hand, with 尚, which gives it a sound close to shàng.

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

耳耳ěrear

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.

Appears in

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