About
The character "嘟" is constructed from the mouth radical (口) combined with the phonetic component "都", which together establish its inherent connection to oral sounds and provide its pronunciation. Etymologically, it originated as an onomatopoeic representation for short, abrupt noises like the beep of a horn or a similar sound, a core function that has been maintained in the language. Over time, its meaning extended beyond purely auditory cues to describe the physical action of pouting or protruding the lips, as seen in compounds like "嘟嘴", thus linking the character's sound-based roots with a related visual manifestation involving the mouth. While its structural form has not undergone significant alteration, the semantic expansion from representing sounds to depicting a facial expression demonstrates a natural progression in its usage within written and spoken Chinese.
Example Sentences Hide
汽车的喇叭嘟嘟响。
火车嘟嘟地开走了。
他嘟囔了几句。
小孩嘟着嘴不高兴。
电话里传来嘟嘟的声音。
她嘟着嘴巴表示不满。
轮船的汽笛嘟嘟地鸣叫着。
他一边嘟囔一边收拾东西。