音响效果 (yīn xiǎng xiào guǒ) — sound effect

Definition

noun
sound effect

Examples

  • 音响效果。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng de yīn xiǎng xiào guǒ fēi cháng bī zhēn.
    The sound effects in this movie are very realistic.
  • 音响效果。
    Yóu xì zhōng de yīn xiǎng xiào guǒ ràng wán jiā gèng yǒu dài rù gǎn.
    The sound effects in the game make players feel more immersed.
  • 音响效果。
    Dǎo yǎn fēi cháng zhòng shì zhè bù huà jù de yīn xiǎng xiào guǒ shè jì.
    The director pays great attention to the sound effect design of this play.

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.

音响sound
音yīnsound响xiǎngresonance
联合Side by side
效果effect
效xiàoeffect果guǒresult
联合Side by side

'音响' refers to sound and '效果' to result or effect, so together they mean the result of sound.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

音 adds a short stroke that seals the mouth-like part, showing a covered or muffled sound rather than speech.

Open 音 →

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 響; 响 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
音音yīnsound
Sound part声符shēngfú
鄉
鄉xiāng響xiǎng
Same sound today

The traditional form 響 pairs 音, meaning sound, with 鄉 to give its pronunciation. The simplified 响 is a later shorthand, so its visible parts are not the historical parts.

Open 响 →

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
攵Written in full as攴pūto strike; action
Sound part声符shēngfú
交
交jiāo效xiào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

效 pairs 攵 (written in full as 攴), meaning “to strike; action,” with 交, which gives the sound.

Open 效 →

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

果 originally drew fruits hanging on a tree.

Open 果 →

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