听 (tīng): to listen to, to hear, to heed, to obey, a can (loanword from English "tin")
听 (tīng) is a Chinese character meaning “to listen to.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 口 (structural) and 斤 (structural). It ranks #285 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 听 words 口 reaching an ear 斤. Its radical form 口 (mouth) appears in many related characters such as 口 (kǒu, mouth), 叫 (jiào, to call, to be called), 右 (yòu, (bound form) right).
Definitions
- to listen to
- to hear
- to heed
- to obey
- a can (loanword from English "tin")
Etymology & Origin
ideographicWords 口 reaching an ear 斤
Decomposition: ⿰口斤 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 听 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 听
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 听说verb | tīng shuō | to hear (sth said) | 3 |
| 听见verb | tīng jiàn | to hear | 1 |
| 听话adjective | tīng huà | to do what one is told | 6 |
| 好听adjective | hǎo tīng | pleasant to hear | 1 |
| 倾听verb | qīng tīng | to listen attentively | 6 |
| 打听verb | dǎ ting | to ask about | 5 |
| 听众noun | tīng zhòng | audience | 4 |
| 听取verb | tīng qǔ | to hear (news) | 6 |
| 动听adjective | dòng tīng | pleasant to listen to | 6 |
| 听力noun | tīng lì | hearing | 4 |
| 收听verb | shōu tīng | to listen to (a radio broadcast) | 4 |
| 听觉noun | tīng jué | sense of hearing | 6 |
| 难听adjective | nán tīng | unpleasant to hear | 3 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 听到 | tīng dào | to hear |
| 听证会noun | tīng zhèng huì | (legislative) hearing |
| 窃听器noun | qiè tīng qì | tapping device |
| 监听verb | jiān tīng | to monitor |
| 听从verb | tīng cóng | to listen and obey |
| 偷听verb | tōu tīng | to eavesdrop |
| 窃听verb | qiè tīng | to eavesdrop |
| 聆听verb | líng tīng | to listen (respectfully) |
| 洗耳恭听phrase | xǐ ěr gōng tīng | to listen with respectful attention |
| 听命verb | tīng mìng | to obey an order |
| 旁听verb | páng tīng | to sit in on (proceedings) |
| 听信verb | tīng xìn | to listen to information |
| 听候verb | tīng hòu | to wait for (orders, a decision, a judgment) |
| 听天由命phrase | tīng tiān yóu mìng | (idiom) to submit to the will of heaven |
| 道听途说 | dào tīng tú shuō | gossip |
听 appears in 100 compound words: 58 as the first character, 30 as the last, and 12 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 听 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (16)
(of female royal members, e.g. empress or empress dowager) to rule in place of a monarch; to serve as regent
to mislead the public with prevarication and deliberate falsehoods; to obscure the facts
to hear but not pay attention or care; to turn a deaf ear; to be indifferent
listening, speaking, reading and writing; various aspects of learning a foreign language
(idiom) to take a laissez-faire attitude; to turn a blind eye (towards sth undesirable)
(of female royal members, e.g. empress or empress dowager) to rule in place of a monarch; to serve as regent
to mislead the public with prevarication and deliberate falsehoods; to obscure the facts
Showing 12 of 16 idioms containing 听.
Example Sentences
妈妈听嘱我要按时吃饭，注意身体健康。
mā mā yǐn zhǔ wǒ yāo àn shí chī fàn , zhù yì shēn tī jiàn kāng .
Mom told me to eat on time and take care of my health.
免费畅听 6 个月,Apple Music 新订...
miǎn fèi chàng tīng 6 gè yuè , A p p l e M u s i c xīn dìng . . .
Free listening for 6 months, Apple Music new...
广东流行歌诞生前我们听甚么?中大教授翻查史料还原时代曲面貌
guǎng dōng liú háng gē dàn shēng qián wǒ men tīng shèn má ? zhōng dà jiào shòu fān chá shǐ liào hái yuán shí dài qū miàn mào
What did we listen to before the birth of Cantonese pop songs? CUHK professors check historical materials to restore the appearance of the times
杨巧双访闽听民意 推动策略发展旅游经济
yáng qiǎo shuāng fǎng 闽 tīng mín yì tuī dòng cè lüè fā zhǎn lǚ yóu jīng jì
Yang Qiaoshuang visited Fujian to listen to public opinion and promote the strategic development of the tourism economy
视频丨繁荣昌盛,越来越好!这个春节听听大家给祖国的..
shì pín 丨 fán róng chāng shèng , yuè lái yuè hǎo ! zhè gè chūn jié tīng tīng dà jiā gěi zǔ guó de . .
Video丨Prosperity and prosperity, getting better and better! This Spring Festival, listen to what everyone has for the motherland:
繁荣昌盛,越来越好!这个春节听听大家给祖国的祝福
fán róng chāng shèng , yuè lái yuè hǎo ! zhè gè chūn jié tīng tīng dà jiā gěi zǔ guó de zhù fú
Prosperity and prosperity, better and better! This Spring Festival, listen to everyone's blessings to the motherland
是吗？那说来听听啊！
Shì ma? nà shuō lái tīng tīng ā!
Well, say it, then!
您听见我儿子拉小提琴了吗？
Nín tīngjiàn wǒ érzi lā xiǎotíqín le ma?
Did you hear my son play the violin?
你每天都在家听收音机吗？
Nǐ měitiān dōu zài jiā tīng shōuyīnjī ma?
Do you listen to the radio at home every day?
你有听过那首歌的法文版本吗？
Nǐ yǒu tīng guo nà shǒu gē de Fǎwén bǎnběn ma?
Have you ever heard that song sung in French?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 听 (tīng) mean in Chinese?
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Is 听 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 听 with real-time feedback
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