震天 (zhèn tiān) — deafening, earth-shattering (of sound) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

震天 (zhèn tiān) is a vivid set-phrase meaning 'deafening / earth-shattering', used to describe sound so loud it seems to shake the sky. It almost always modifies 声 or 响 in a 震天的声/响 construction, not as a standalone verb.

verb

deafeningearth-shattering (of sound)

Examples

震天，。
Nà shēng yīn zhèn tiān, xià le wǒ yí tiào.
That sound was deafening — it scared me.
震天。
Yuǎn chù chuán lái zhèn tiān de bào zhà shēng.
A deafening explosion came from afar.
震天，。
Guǎng chǎng shàng gǔ shēng zhèn tiān, rè nao jí le.
The drumming on the square was earth-shattering, extremely lively.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

震 means shake, and 天 means heaven, so the idea is shaking the sky.

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.

雨辰震

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

辰

辰chén震zhèn

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

震 combines 雨 (rain) with 辰 (chén), which gives the sound; 雨 is the part associated with the character’s meaning.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

丁dīng天tiān

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

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Appears in

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