玲玲 (líng líng) — (onomatopoeia) tinkling sound of jade pieces | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literary onomatopoeia for the clear, ringing clink of jade or metal — used in writing to describe tinkling sounds, not in everyday speech.

onomatopoeia

tinkling sound of jade pieces

Examples

玲玲。
Fēng líng fā chū líng líng de shēng xiǎng.
The wind chime made a tinkling sound.
玲玲。
Yù pèi zài yāo jiān líng líng zuò xiǎng.
The jade pendant at the waist tinkled.
，玲玲。
Tā zǒu lù shí, ěr huán líng líng dì xiǎng.
When she walked, her earrings tinkled.

Origin

Single-morpheme word

构词法gòucífǎ

叠音diéyīnRepeated syllable

One syllable written twice as a single unit of meaning; neither half stands alone.

玲玲 imitates a tinkling sound; the characters carry no separate meaning.

Sound-only characters

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

玉玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

令

Same sound today

玲 pairs 玉 (jade) with 令, which gives its sound.

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

玉玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

令

Same sound today

玲 pairs 玉 (jade) with 令, which gives its sound.

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