鸣 míng — cry, sound · English

鸣

míng

cry, sound

At a glance · 鸣

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

鸣字小篆从口从鸟，会意为鸟兽鸣叫；本义为鸟叫，引申为发声。甲骨文象鸟鸣之形。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

鸣本义为鸟叫，引申为发声、鸣响。

Structure

会意字，从口从鸟，表示鸟以口鸣。

At a glance

Pinyinmíng

Radical鸟

Strokes8

UnicodeU+9E23

Character type会意

Theme动作

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English cry, sound Ming is an associative character of mouth and bird, meaning to cry out and make a sound.

Français chanter, sonner Ming est un caractère associatif de bouche et oiseau, signifiant chanter et émettre un son.

Español cantar, sonar Ming es un carácter asociativo de boca y ave, significa cantar y emitir sonido.

العربية يصدر صوتاً مينغ حرف تركيبي لفم وطائر، يعني التغريد وإصدار الصوت.

Русский петь, звучать Мин — ассоциативный знак рта и птицы, означает издавать крик и звук.

Common words

鸣叫míng jiàochirp
雷鸣léi míngthunder

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