Chinese word

响

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiǎng

Meaning

  • verbring

Example

门铃响了。mén líng xiǎng le

The doorbell rang.

Illustration for 响 (ring)

More examples

手机响了，我没有听见。shǒu jī xiǎng le wǒ méi yǒu tīng jiàn

My phone rang, but I did not hear it.

Core concept

A source produces a sound that spreads through nearby space and reaches the ear.

Common phrases

  • 手机响了shǒu jī xiǎng le

    phone rang

  • 门铃响了mén líng xiǎng le

    doorbell rang

  • 闹钟响了nào zhōng xiǎng le

    alarm clock rang

Similar words

发出fā chū: To give out a sound or voice for others to hear.
听见tīng jiàn: To hear a sound or voice with the ears.

Definition in Chinese

发出声音，使人或周围能听到。fā chū shēng yīn shǐ rén huò zhōu wéi néng tīng dào

Word origin

The character 响 (xiǎng, "to sound") comes from traditional 響 (xiǎng, "to sound"), a form associated with a sound being heard and spreading, which fits both sounding and echoing.

Usage tips

  • For English-speaking learners, the sound source can be the grammatical subject, so Chinese often needs no separate verb meaning "make" when a bell or device produces an audible sound.

Other meanings

  • echoverb
  • make a soundverb

Related words

Word lists with this word