叮

dīng
丁 + 口

Definitions

dīng (verb) to sting; to bite (of insects)
dīng (verb) to urge insistently; to tell repeatedly
dīng (noun) (onom.) tinkling; jingling sound

Etymology

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

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 丁

About

叮 (dīng) is a phono-semantic compound: the mouth radical 口 (kǒu) signals a mouth-related action, while 丁 (dīng) gives the sound. The character originally depicted the sharp bite or sting of an insect, with 口 conveying the physical act. From this, it developed an extended sense of repeatedly urging, warning, or giving persistent verbal reminders. Both the literal biting meaning and the figurative urging sense coexist, linking piercing physical contact with insistent speech.

Example Sentences Hide

门铃叮咚响。

mén líng dīng dōng xiǎng.

The doorbell rings with a ding-dong sound.

蚊子叮了我的胳膊。

wén zi dīng le wǒ de gē bo.

A mosquito bit my arm.

妈妈再三叮嘱我要小心。

mā ma zài sān dīng zhǔ wǒ yào xiǎo xīn.

Mother repeatedly told me to be careful.

我被蜜蜂叮了一下。

wǒ bèi mì fēng dīng le yí xià.

I was stung by a bee.

他不断叮问事情的细节。

tā bù duàn dīng wèn shì qíng de xì jié.

He kept pressing for details of the matter.

老师叮咛我们考试别迟到。

lǎo shī dīng níng wǒ men kǎo shì bié chí dào.

The teacher exhorted us not to be late for the exam.

这种昆虫会叮人并传播疾病。

zhè zhǒng kūn chóng huì dīng rén bìng chuán bō jí bìng.

This kind of insect bites people and spreads disease.

主管叮了他一句，让他注意报告中的错误。

zhǔ guǎn dīng le tā yī jù, ràng tā zhù yì bào gào zhōng de cuò wù.

The supervisor gave him a sharp reminder to pay attention to the mistakes in the report.

Related Characters

Component: 丁

可 打 顶 宁 灯 订 厅 盯 亭 钉 汀 町 酊 仃

Component: 口

中 和 可 后 如 同 只 知 高 问 向 或 加 合

Example Words

叮当 叮嘱 叮叮 叮咚 叮咬 叮咛 千叮万嘱 叮叮当当 叮当响 叮铃