Chinese word

听不到

Pronunciation

Pinyintīng bù dào

Meaning

  • verbcan't hear

Example

电话那头的声音太小，我听不到他说什么。diàn huà nà tóu de shēng yīn tài xiǎo wǒ tīng bú dào tā shuō shén me

The voice on the other end of the phone is too quiet, so I can't hear what he is saying.

Illustration for 听不到 (can't hear)

More examples

在地铁里我听不到外面的广播。zài dì tiě lǐ wǒ tīng bú dào wài miàn de guǎng bō

On the subway, I can't hear the announcement outside.

Core concept

The spoken signal is present, but its path to the ears is too weak or blocked for usable sound to come through.

Common phrases

  • 听不到任何声音tīng bú dào rèn hé shēng yīn

    can't hear any sound

  • 听不到他说什么tīng bú dào tā shuō shén me

    can't hear what he is saying

  • 听不到音乐tīng bú dào yīn yuè

    can't hear the music

Similar words

听不见tīng bú jiàn: Unable to hear a sound because it does not reach the ears at all.
听不清tīng bù qīng: Unable to make out words clearly because the sound is muffled, broken, or unclear.
听不懂tīng bù dǒng: Unable to understand spoken words even though the sound can be heard.

Definition in Chinese

指听觉上收不到声音或虽有声音但无法辨别其内容，多用于电话不清、环境噪声或距离太远的情况。zhǐ tīng jué shàng shōu bú dào shēng yīn huò suī yǒu shēng yīn dàn wú fǎ biàn bié qí nèi róng duō yòng yú diàn huà bù qīng huán jìng zào shēng huò jù lí tài yuǎn de qíng kuàng

Word origin

听 (tīng, "hear") + 不 (bù, "not") + 到 (dào, "reach") forms a result expression in which hearing fails to reach its target.

Usage tips

  • On a phone call or in a noisy room, this wording identifies a sound problem rather than a disagreement or lack of interest, which helps keep the conversation repair focused.

Opposites

  • 听得见tīng de jiàncan hearverb

Related words

Word lists with this word