About
The character 哎 is a phono-semantic compound, with the mouth radical 口 on the left indicating a vocal sound and the phonetic component 艾 (ài) on the right providing its pronunciation. It functions purely as an interjection in spoken dialogue, expressing spontaneous emotions like surprise, realization, dissatisfaction, or sudden recollection, with its specific meaning depending on the speaker's intonation and context. Often placed at the start of a sentence, it serves to grab attention or mark a shift in thought, directly capturing an immediate verbal reaction rather than representing a concrete concept.
Example Sentences Hide
哎，你过来一下。
哎，我真没想到啊！
哎，这件事太可惜了。
哎，你怎么不说话？
哎，我又忘记带钥匙了。
哎，这次考试没考好。
哎，如果你早点告诉我多好。
哎，看到这个结果我真的很失望。