疾呼 (jí hū) — to cry out (in urgency, protest, or appeal); to shout loudly

Definition

A formal, written verb meaning 'to cry out urgently' — to appeal or protest loudly and insistently, often in a public appeal or editorial. Stronger and more rhetorical than simply 喊 or 叫.

verb
to cry out (in urgency, protest, or appeal)to shout loudly

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā dà shēng jí hū, xī wàng yǒu rén néng tīng dào.
    He cried out loudly, hoping someone could hear him.
  • 疾呼，。
    Huán bǎo rén shì zài jiē tóu jí hū, hū yù bǎo hù sēn lín.
    Environmental activists cried out on the streets, calling for forest protection.
  • 疾呼，。
    Tā xiàng zhèng fǔ jí hū, yāo qiú gōng zhèng de shěn pàn.
    She appealed to the government, demanding a fair trial.

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.

疾jíurgent
呼hūcall

疾 urgent and 呼 call give an urgent cry.

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.

疾 combines 疒, showing illness, with a form showing an arrow flying toward a person, giving the sense of fast.

Open 疾 →

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
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.

Open 呼 →

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