xiào
verb #71,068

Meanings

  1. 1 to whistle (with the mouth)
  2. 2 to howl; to roar (of wind or animals)

Examples

HSK 7-9
Hánfēng hūxiào zhe chuī guò chuānghu.
The cold wind howled past the window.
HSK 7-9
老虎山林长啸一声
Lǎohǔ zài shānlín lǐ chángxiào yìshēng.
The tiger gave a long roar in the mountain forest.
HSK 7-9
Chēduì hūxiào zhe shǐguò gōnglù.
The convoy roared down the highway.

Tips

usage
Most common in 呼啸 (to whistle past, used of wind, bullets, vehicles) and 咆哮-like roaring contexts. 长啸 is a literary 'long howl', often a hero or beast venting emotion.

Components

radical
kǒu
mouth
Left mouth radical, marking this as a sound made through the mouth - a sharp whistle or piercing cry. It puts in the vocal-sound family alongside and .
phonetic
solemn; to respect
Right supplies the sound - sù drifting to xiào, a wide shift typical of older phonetic series. It contributes no meaning here; the simplified shape contracts the fuller traditional form on the right of .

Stroke Order

xiào