雷声 (léi shēng) — thunder, thunderclap | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

thunderthunderclap

Measure word · 声

Examples

雷声。
Yuǎn chù chuán lái yí zhèn zhèn léi shēng.
Gusts of thunder came from afar.
雷声，。
léi shēng Hěn dà, bǎ xiǎo hái xià kū le.
The thunder was so loud it scared the child into crying.
，雷声。
Xià yǔ zhī qián, wǒ men tīng dào le léi shēng.
Before it rained, we heard thunder.

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.

雷léithunder

雷 (thunder) specifies the 声 (sound), so the word means thunderclap.

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

雨雨yǔrain

Sound part声符shēngfú

畾

畾léi雷léi

Same sound today

The top 雨 (rain) points to the meaning, and the bottom 畾 gives the sound.

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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