聽

Translingual

Han character

聽 (Kangxi radical 128, 耳+16, 22 strokes, cangjie input 尸土十田心 (SGJWP), four-corner 1413₁, composition ⿰⿹耳𡈼𢛳)

Derived characters

• 廳, 㕔, 𪢧, 𢺭

Related characters

• 聴 (Japanese shinjitai)
• 听 (Simplified Chinese)

Usage notes

• 耳王十四一心 is a phrase used to remember this character, based on the order of the strokes.

Further reading

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 970, character 24
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 29211
• Dae Jaweon: page 1422, character 9
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2799, character 14
• Unihan data for U+807D

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 聽
Shang		Western Zhou	Warring States		Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Bronze inscriptions	Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Qin slip script	Small seal script

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *l̥ʰeːŋ, *l̥ʰeːŋs) : phonetic 𡈼 (OC *l̥ʰeːŋʔ) + semantic 耳 (“ear”) + semantic 㥁.

Originally ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 耳 (“ear”) + 口 (“mouth(s)”) – to listen. Compare 聖.

Etymology 1

This is traditionally considered to have the same origin as 聖 (OC *hljeŋs, “to hear; wise; sage”) and 聲 (OC *qʰjeŋ, “sound”). Additionally, it may be also related to 聆 (OC *reːŋ, “to hear; to listen”) (Wang, 1982).

Outside connections unclear, although note Proto-Hlai *hliːŋ (“to hear (it said)”) from Pre-Hlai *(h)leːŋ (Norquest, 2007).

Derivatives:

• 廳 (OC *l̥ʰeːŋ, “hall, i.e. where hearings take place”)
• 廷 (OC *l'eːŋ, *l'eːŋʔ, “palace courtyard”).

Pronunciation 1

Definitions

聽

1. to listen; to hear; to listen to (radio, etc.)

   請仔細聽。／请仔细听。  ―  Qǐng zǐxì tīng.  ―  Please listen carefully.

   我中意聽音樂。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   我中意听音乐。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   ngo⁵ zung¹ ji³ teng¹ jam¹ ngok⁶.

   I like to listen to music.

   你聽有無？ [Hokkien, trad.]
   你听有无？ [Hokkien, simp.]

   Lí thiaⁿ ū-bô? [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

   Can you understand what you heard or not?

   • 你敢有聽著咱唱歌，唱出艱苦人的苦痛？ [Hokkien, trad.]
     你敢有听着咱唱歌，唱出艰苦人的苦痛？ [Hokkien, simp.]

     From: 吳易澄, 你敢有聽著咱唱歌 ("Do You Hear the People Sing")

     Lí kám ū thiaⁿ-tio̍h lán chhiùⁿ-koa, chhiùⁿ chhut kan-khó͘ lâng ê khó͘-thiàⁿ? [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

     Do you hear us sing, singing the pain of suffering people?

2. to obey; to heed

   聽話／听话  ―  tīnghuà  ―  obedient; to obey

   我勸他別去，他不聽。 [MSC, trad.]
   我劝他别去，他不听。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ quàn tā bié qù, tā bù tīng.

   I advised him not to go, but he wouldn't listen.

3. to allow; to let
4. Alternative form of 廳／厅 (tīng, “hall”)
5. (Shanghainese, slang) a thousand of a currency denomination
6. (Wenzhounese) to smell
7. (Cantonese) to pick up the phone

Synonyms

• (to hear):

• (to smell):

• (to pick up the phone): 接 (jiē)

Compounds

Pronunciation 2

Definitions

聽

1. ^† to handle (matters of state); to administer

   聽政／听政  ―  tīngzhèng  ―  to handle matters of state

2. to adjudicate

   聽獄／听狱  ―  tīngyù  ―  to hear lawsuits

3. to allow

   • 摘瓜法：在步道上，引手而取；勿聽浪人踏瓜蔓，及翻覆之。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     摘瓜法：在步道上，引手而取；勿听浪人踏瓜蔓，及翻覆之。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: 544 CE, Jia Sixie, Qimin Yaoshu

     Zhāiguā fǎ: zài bùdào shàng, yǐn shǒu ér qǔ; wù tīng làngrén tà guāmàn, jí fānfù zhī.

     How to pluck melons: on the footpath, reach out one's hands and take them; do not allow drifters to trample the melon-vines and toss and turn them .

4. (Cantonese) to wait a little
5. (Cantonese) to wait for something inevitable to happen

   你咁懶，聽畀人鬧。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   你咁懒，听畀人闹。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   nei⁵ gam³ laan⁵, ting³ bei² jan⁴ naau⁶.

   You are so lazy. You're going to be scolded for sure.

Compounds

Pronunciation 3

Definitions

聽

1. (mahjong) to need (one or more particular tiles) to complete a hand to win

Synonyms

• (Cantonese) 叫 (giu³)

Compounds

Etymology 2

From English tin.

Pronunciation

Definitions

聽

1. can; tin

   Synonym: 聽子／听子 (tīngzi)

   聽裝／听装  ―  tīngzhuāng  ―  canned (drink, food etc.)

2. Classifier for canned drinks.

Compounds

Etymology 3

See 聽日／听日 (ting¹ jat⁶).

Pronunciation

Definitions

聽

1. (Cantonese) tomorrow

   聽日／听日 [Cantonese]  ―  ting¹ jat⁶   ―  tomorrow

   聽晚／听晚 [Cantonese]  ―  ting¹ maan⁵   ―  tomorrow evening

Compounds

References

• “聽”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Further reading

• “Entry #13260”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.

Japanese

Kanji

(uncommon “Hyōgai” kanji, kyūjitai kanji, shinjitai form 聴)

1. to listen; to hear
2. to allow

Readings

• Go-on: ちょう (chō)
• Kan-on: てい (tei)
• Kun: きく (kiku, 聽く); ゆるす (yurusu, 聽す)

Korean

Hanja

聽 (eumhun 들을 청 (deureul cheong))

1. Hanja form^? of 청 (“to listen”).

Vietnamese

Han character

聽: Hán Nôm readings: thính, xính

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