About
The character "嗒" is a relatively late formation in Chinese writing, constructed by combining the semantic component "口" (mouth) with the phonetic component "荅". While the phonetic component "荅" carries its own meanings related to replying or a type of bean, its role here is primarily to suggest pronunciation. Historically, "嗒" has functioned almost exclusively as an onomatopoeic character, used to represent sounds such as the clicking of tongues, the clacking of objects, or similar percussive noises. Over time, its usage expanded beyond direct sound imitation into a descriptive literary device for states of silence or abstraction, as seen in the disyllabic word "嗒然", which describes a deflated or stupefied demeanor, thus giving the character a secondary, expressive layer of meaning alongside its core mimetic function.
Example Sentences Hide
雨点嗒嗒地落下。
马蹄声嗒嗒作响。
他嗒嗒地敲着键盘。
时钟嗒嗒地走着。
小雨嗒嗒地打在窗户上。
听到嗒嗒声，他知道是快递员来了。
打字机发出嗒嗒的响声，在寂静的夜里格外清晰。
她嗒然若失地坐在那里，听着雨滴嗒嗒地敲打屋顶。