Chinese Conversation · Level 26
90 words
Chinese word
哼
Pronunciation
Pinyinhēng
Meaning
- interjectionhumph
Example
哼，我才不相信你呢。hēng wǒ cái bù xiāng xìn nǐ ne
Humph, I don't believe you.
More examples
她听到这个建议，只是冷冷地哼了一声。tā tīng dào zhè ge jiàn yì zhǐ shì léng lěng dì hēng le yì shēng
She heard this suggestion and merely let out a cold snort.
Core concept
A brief sound through the nose carries attitude, from dismissive rejection to a wordless tune.
Common phrases
冷哼一声lěng hēng yì shēng
give a cold snort
不屑地哼bú xiè dì hēng
snort disdainfully
哼了一声hēng le yì shēng
let out a snort
Similar words
呸pēi: A sharp cry used to show strong disgust or contempt toward someone.
嗤chī: A short snort or mocking laugh showing contempt.
哼哼hēng hēng: A repeated quiet sound of complaint showing displeasure.
唉āi: A short sigh-like sound expressing regret or sorrow.
Definition in Chinese
既可作感叹词表示不满或轻蔑，也可作动词表示低声哼唱简短旋律，具体含义由语境决定。jì kě zuò gǎn tàn cí biǎo shì bù mǎn huò qīng miè yě kě zuò dòng cí biǎo shì dī shēng hēng chàng jián duǎn xuán lǜ jù tǐ hán yì yóu yǔ jìng jué dìng
Word origin
The character 哼 (hēng, "humph; hum") is an onomatopoeic form for a short nasal sound, which supports both an expressive interjection and quiet humming.
Usage tips
- The surrounding action identifies the sense: a reply to a person may sound sharp, while a music-related context points to vocalizing a tune.
Other meanings
- humverb
- snortverb
Related words
- 哼哼hēng hēngmutterinterjection
- 哼唱hēng chànghumverb
- 哼声hēng shēngsnortnoun