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耳语 (ěr yǔ) — (verb) to whisper in someone's ear; (noun) a whisper

Definition

Literary/书面语 word for 'to whisper,' literally 'ear + speech.' More formal than the everyday 低声说; used as both a verb and a noun.

verb
to whisper in someone's ear
noun
a whisper

Examples

  • 耳语。
    Tā còu guò lái duì wǒ ěr yǔ.
    He leaned over and whispered in my ear.
  • 耳语。
    Wǒ tīng dào le tā men de ěr yǔ.
    I heard their whisper.
  • 耳语。
    Tā men zài jiǎo luò lǐ ěr yǔ.
    They are whispering in the corner.

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.

耳ěrear
语yǔspeak

耳 gives the ear, and 语 gives speaking, so the sense is whispering in an ear.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

耳 is drawn as a picture of an ear.

Open 耳 →

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 語; 语 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
吾
吾wú語yǔ
Same sound today

The form 語 pairs 言 (speech) with 吾, which gives the sound; this note is about 語, not 语.

Open 语 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

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