About
The character "嘘", whose traditional form is "噓", is etymologically constructed from the semantic component 口 (mouth) and the component 虛, which historically contributed both phonetic value and a core semantic notion of emptiness or falsity. This combination originally generated meanings related to exhalation, specifically a slow sigh or breath, which aligned with the concept of expelling air from the mouth. Over time, the association with emptiness within 虛 steered the character's meaning toward speech acts that are insubstantial or untrue, giving rise to its primary contemporary senses of urging for silence, expressing disbelief, or denoting falsehoods and exaggerations. Thus, the character's conceptual journey moved from a physical act of breathing to a figurative realm of vocalization, where the content of speech is perceived as hollow or intended to suppress sound.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
嘘，请安静一点。
他嘘了一声，让大家安静。
图书馆里需要保持嘘声。
别吹嘘你的成绩了。
观众对糟糕的表演发出嘘声。
他总是喜欢吹嘘自己的经历。
他的吹嘘让人感到不耐烦。
在会议上，他因吹嘘过度而受到批评。