哮

xiào

口 + 孝

Definitions

xiào pant; roar; bark (of animals); Taiwan pr. [xiāo]

Etymology

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

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 孝

About

哮 is a phono-semantic compound: the left-side component 口 (mouth) gives the meaning, and the right-side component 孝 (xiào) provides the sound. Its original meaning is the loud, aggressive roaring or howling of wild animals, especially fierce beasts like tigers and wolves. Over time, the character's use broadened to describe the heavy, wheezing sounds made by people suffering from respiratory ailments such as asthma or severe coughing; thus, in medical terminology, it refers to labored breathing rather than a literal roar.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

哮喘很难受。

xiàochuǎn hěn nánshòu.

Asthma is very uncomfortable.

他哮喘发作了。

tā xiàochuǎn fāzuò le.

He had an asthma attack.

医生治疗哮喘。

yīshēng zhìliáo xiàochuǎn.

The doctor treats asthma.

狮子在咆哮。

shīzi zài páoxiào.

The lion is roaring.

他愤怒地咆哮着。

tā fènnù de páoxiào zhe.

He roared angrily.

哮喘病人需要小心。

xiàochuǎn bìngrén xūyào xiǎoxīn.

Asthma patients need to be careful.

风暴中大海在咆哮。

fēngbào zhōng dàhǎi zài páoxiào.

The sea is roaring in the storm.

在哮喘发作时，他必须使用吸入器。

zài xiàochuǎn fāzuò shí, tā bìxū shǐyòng xīrùqì.

During an asthma attack, he must use an inhaler.

Related Characters

Component: 口

Component: 孝

哮