About
The character for "song" or "to sing", now standardized as 歌, originally derived from an earlier form written as 謌, which explicitly combined the component 言 (speech) with 哥, the latter itself a reduplication of 可 suggesting a continuous sound. The modern structure stabilised around the components 哥, which provides phonetic suggestion, and 欠, a pictograph of a person with an open mouth, denoting an action related to breath or emission. This combination effectively captures the act of producing vocal music. While its core meaning of a sung composition has remained consistent, its application broadened from denoting specific ritual or folk songs to encompass any lyrical musical piece, and further extended metaphorically into verbs for praise or celebration, as in "歌頌". The traditional form retains this same composition.
Example Sentences Hide
我喜欢唱这首歌。
她每天练习唱这首歌。
这首歌的旋律很优美。
他正在听一首流行歌曲。
我写了一些歌词来表达心情。
她的歌声打动了所有听众。
音乐会以一首著名的民歌结束。
这不仅仅是一首歌，更是我们共同的回忆。