About
The character "嘟" is structured as a phono-semantic compound with the mouth radical 口 on the left and the phonetic component 都 on the right, indicating its association with sound through the radical while the phonetic part suggests its pronunciation. Etymologically, it originated as an onomatopoeic character used to mimic sounds such as honking or murmuring, which is consistent with its mouth-related component. Over time, its meaning broadened to include descriptive actions like pouting, as in the expression "嘟着嘴", while retaining its sound-imitating function in words like "嘟囔" for muttering.
Example Sentences Hide
汽车的喇叭嘟嘟响。
火车嘟嘟地开走了。
他嘟囔了几句。
小孩嘟着嘴不高兴。
电话里传来嘟嘟的声音。
她嘟着嘴巴表示不满。
轮船的汽笛嘟嘟地鸣叫着。
他一边嘟囔一边收拾东西。