唱

chàng

口 + 昌

HSK 3.0Level 1

Definitions

chàng (verb) to sing

chàng (verb) to chant; to call out loudly

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 昌 represents the sound.

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 昌

About

唱 (chàng) is a phonosemantic compound: the mouth radical 口 (kǒu) signals oral expression, and 昌 (chāng), meaning "prosperous" or "flourishing", supplies the sound. In its earliest uses, the character denoted the loud, clear proclamation of information, a herald announcing a magistrate's arrival, directing a ceremony, or calling out names from a legal roster. While this original sense of calling out survives in specialized contexts, the dominant modern meaning has shifted to the artistic performance of vocal music, encompassing singing melodies, theatrical arias, and rhythmic lyrics.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他喜欢唱歌。

Tā xǐhuān chànggē.

He likes to sing.

我妹妹唱得很好听。

Wǒ mèimei chàng de hěn hǎotīng.

My younger sister sings very beautifully.

请为我们唱一首歌吧。

Qǐng wèi wǒmen chàng yī shǒu gē ba.

Please sing a song for us.

他们在合唱一首老歌。

Tāmen zài héchàng yī shǒu lǎo gē.

They are singing an old song together.

她正在演唱一首新歌。

Tā zhèngzài yǎnchàng yī shǒu xīn gē.

She is performing a new song.

即使难过，她也会唱快乐的歌。

Jíshǐ nánguò, tā yě huì chàng kuàilè de gē.

Even when she's sad, she will sing happy songs.

唱歌给他带来了许多快乐。

Chànggē gěi tā dàilái le xǔduō kuàilè.

Singing has brought him a lot of happiness.

他用歌声唱出了真挚的友谊。

Tā yòng gēshēng chàng chū le zhēnzhì de yǒuyì.

With his singing voice, he expressed sincere friendship.

Related Characters

Component: 口

Component: 昌

唱