Chinese word

嘘

Pronunciation

Pinyinxū

Meaning

  • interjectionshh

Example

嘘，别出声。xū bié chū shēng

Shh, don't make a sound.

Illustration for 嘘 (shh)

More examples

妈妈对宝宝说嘘，宝宝慢慢停止哭泣。mā mā duì báo bǎo shuō xū báo bǎo màn màn tíng zhǐ kū qì

Mom said shh to the baby, and the baby gradually stopped crying.

Core concept

A quick mouth-made cue that asks a nearby listener to become quiet.

Common phrases

  • 对着婴儿说嘘duì zhe yīng ér shuō xū

    say shh to a baby

Definition in Chinese

用来叫别人不要出声或安静，声音短促，多用于对面或对儿童的提醒。yòng lái jiào bié rén bú yào chū shēng huò ān jìng shēng yīn duǎn cù duō yòng yú duì miàn huò duì ér tóng de tí xǐng

Word origin

The character 嘘 (xū, "shh") is a phonetic-semantic compound: 口 (kǒu, "mouth") points to a spoken sound, while 虚 (xū, "empty") provides its pronunciation.

Usage tips

  • The same brief cue works with adults and children, while the speaker's volume and tone show whether it is a gentle reminder or a firm interruption.

Word lists with this word