Definitions

dōng (onomatopoeia) (onom.) boom (of a drum); knock (on the door)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

咚 (dōng) is an onomatopoeic character that imitates a heavy, resonant sound like a drumbeat, a heavy footstep, or an object striking a hollow surface. It is composed of the semantic radical 口 (kǒu, mouth), which signals that the character represents a sound, paired with the phonetic component 冬 (dōng, winter), which provides the pronunciation without contributing to the meaning. The character effectively conveys a dull, rhythmic thud and is often repeated to suggest continuous impacts.

Example Sentences Hide

敲门声响。

Qiāo mén shēng dōng dōng xiǎng.

The knocking sound goes thump thump.

地一声跳下水。

Tā dōng de yī shēng tiào xià shuǐ.

He jumped into the water with a splash.

心跳地加快。

Xīn tiào dōng dōng de jiā kuài.

The heartbeat speeds up thumping.

鼓声,节奏鲜明。

Gǔ shēng dōng dōng, jié zòu xiān míng.

The drum sound is thumping, with a clear rhythm.

远处传来的敲门声。

Yuǎn chù chuán lái dōng dōng de qiāo mén shēng.

From afar, comes the thumping sound of knocking.

他突然听到的一声,吓了一跳。

Tā tū rán tīng dào dōng de yī shēng, xià le yī tiào.

He suddenly heard a thud and was startled.

每当夜深人静时,总能听到的心跳声。

Měi dāng yè shēn rén jìng shí, zǒng néng tīng dào dōng dōng de xīn tiào shēng.

Whenever the night is deep and people are quiet, I can always hear the thumping sound of my heartbeat.

的鼓声仿佛在催促着战士们前进。

Dōng dōng de gǔ shēng fǎng fú zài cuī cù zhe zhàn shì men qián jìn.

The thumping drum sound seems to be urging the soldiers to advance.