语调 (yǔ diào) — intonation; tone of voice | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

intonationtone of voice

Measure word · 个

Examples

语调，。
Tā de yǔ diào hěn wēn hé, ràng rén gǎn jué hěn shū fu.
Her intonation is very gentle, making people feel comfortable.
语调。
Lǎng dú shí yào zhù yì yǔ diào hé tíng dùn.
When reading aloud, you should pay attention to intonation and pauses.
语调。
Tā yòng fěng cì de yǔ diào shuō le nà jù huà.
He said that sentence in a sarcastic tone.

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.

语yǔspeech

语 and 调 form the tone of speech or intonation.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 語; 语 is its simplified writing.

言吾語

Meaning part形符xíngfú

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.

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 調; 调 is its simplified writing.

言周調

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

周

周zhōu調tiáo

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

The traditional form 調 pairs 言 (speech) with 周, which shows how it was pronounced. The simplified 调 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

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