聋

聾

lóng

耳 + 龙

HSK 3.0Level 7

Frequency#2873

Definitions

lóng (adjective) deaf

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 耳 represents the meaning and 龙 represents the sound. Simplified form of 聾.

Semantic: 耳 Phonetic: 龙

About

The character for deafness, originally written as 聾, is structurally composed of the phonetic component 龍 (lóng) and the semantic component 耳 (ear). This formation suggests a word associated with the ear that was pronounced similarly to "lóng". Its meaning has consistently pertained to hearing impairment or the state of being deaf. The simplified form 聋 retains the ear component (耳) at the bottom but replaces the complex phonetic 龍 with the simplified 龙, maintaining the same phonetic function and core meaning while altering the character's visual composition.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

那个孩子是聋的。

Nà ge háizi shì lóng de.

That child is deaf.

聋哑人需要帮助。

Lóng yǎ rén xūyào bāngzhù.

Deaf-mute people need help.

她学习聋哑人手语。

Tā xuéxí lóng yǎ rén shǒuyǔ.

She learns sign language for the deaf and mute.

这位聋人艺术家很出名。

Zhè wèi lóng rén yìshùjiā hěn chūmíng.

This deaf artist is very famous.

虽然他是聋的，但他很乐观。

Suīrán tā shì lóng de, dàn tā hěn lèguān.

Although he is deaf, he is very optimistic.

因为耳聋，他戴了助听器。

Yīnwèi ěr lóng, tā dàile zhùtīngqì.

Because of deafness, he wears a hearing aid.

聋哑儿童在特殊学校受教育。

Lóng yǎ értóng zài tèshū xuéxiào shòu jiàoyù.

Deaf-mute children receive education in special schools.

现代科技为聋人提供了更多的沟通方式。

Xiàndài kējì wèi lóng rén tígōngle gèng duō de gōutōng fāngshì.

Modern technology provides more communication methods for deaf people.

Related Characters

Component: 耳

Component: 龙

聋