呼

嘑

hū

乎 + 口

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

hū (verb) to call out; to shout

hū (verb) to breathe out; to exhale

Etymology

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

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 乎

About

呼 (hū) is a phono-semantic compound: 口 (kǒu, 'mouth') represents the meaning, and 乎 (hū) the sound. The mouth component anchors the character in actions of the mouth and vocal cords. Its core sense is exhaling air from the lungs, the direct opposite of inhaling. Beyond simple breathing, 呼 also describes forceful vocal acts, shouting loudly, calling out to someone at a distance, or crying out in distress or exertion.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

妈妈呼唤我回家。

Māma hūhuàn wǒ huíjiā.

Mom calls me to go home.

小狗呼呼地睡觉。

Xiǎo gǒu hūhū de shuìjiào.

The puppy sleeps soundly.

我们欢呼球队获胜。

Wǒmen huānhū qiúduì huòshèng.

We cheer for the team's victory.

他呼吸着清晨的空气。

Tā hūxīzhe qīngchén de kōngqì.

He is breathing the morning air.

狂风呼啸而过。

Kuángfēng hūxiào ér guò.

The strong wind whistles past.

这项政策得到了广泛呼应。

Zhè xiàng zhèngcè dédàole guǎngfàn hūyìng.

This policy has received widespread response.

他呼呼地喘着气跑完了全程。

Tā hūhū de chuǎnzhe qì pǎowánle quánchéng.

He gasped and puffed throughout the entire run.

紧急情况下，记得及时呼救。

Jǐnjí qíngkuàng xià, jìde jíshí hūjiù.

In an emergency, remember to call for help in time.

Related Characters

Component: 乎

Component: 口

呼