ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

sound / voice / tone

shēng
7 strokes · 士-top over 尸-form — simplified from 聲: a chime-stone struck, an ear listening · HSK 2

Where 声 comes from

The traditional 聲 packed a whole concert: a hanging chime-stone 磬, a hand striking it, an ear 耳 receiving. Simplified 声 keeps the chime's silhouette. Sound, from instrument to eardrum, in one character.

声 in Chinese culture

声 rings through the language: 声音 (sound/voice), 大声 (loud — 大声点! speak up!), 小声 (quietly). Crucially for learners, the four tones are 声调 — 第一声, 第二声… (first tone, second tone): you've been saying 声 since your first pinyin lesson. 悄无声息 is silence; 名声 is reputation — the sound your name makes when you're not in the room.

Example

声音 shēngyīn — sound / voice

请大声一点。
Qǐng dàshēng yìdiǎn.
A little louder, please.

How to remember it

The chime-stone struck — SOUND traveling to the ear.

The four tones you drill are 四声 — 'the four sounds'. Every pinyin mistake is a 声 problem.

Same sound, different tones

1st shēng
sound
2nd shéng
rope
4th shèng
to win

Words unlocked by 声

声音 shēngyīn
sound / voice
大声 dàshēng
loud
第一声 dì-yī shēng
first tone
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