TongTong通通
Sign in

谐音 (xié yīn) — (noun) homophony; words that sound the same but have different meanings; (noun) harmonics; overtones in music

Definition

In Chinese studies, 谐音 names the pun-like phenomenon of two characters sharing a pronunciation but having different meanings (like 是 and 事). In music, it refers to the overtones that color a note's timbre.

noun
homophonywords that sound the same but have different meaningsharmonicsovertones in music

Examples

  • 谐音，“”“”。
    Zhōng wén lǐ yǒu hěn duō xié yīn zì, bǐ rú "shì" hé "shì".
    In Chinese there are many homophonic characters, like 'shì' (是) and 'shì' (事).
  • 谐音。
    Xiǎo tí qín de yīn sè bāo hán fēng fù de xié yīn.
    The timbre of a violin contains rich harmonics.
  • 谐音。
    Zhè shǒu shī de xié yīn hěn měi.
    The euphony of this poem is very beautiful.
Appears in
Language

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.