嘘
xū
The English phrase "hush" is translated into Chinese as 嘘 (xū).
The expression 嘘 imitates the shushing sound and is a commonly used informal expression for hush. While 嘘 is used to command silence, you might also use 保持安静 (bǎo chí ān jìng) to express the idea of remaining quiet or maintaining silence or the casual phrase 安静点 (ān jìng diǎn) to ask someone to be quieter or keep it down.
Meaning: to make quiet (verb)
How do you pronounce it?
xū
Did you know?
- In Chinese sports culture, 嘘 is used by crowds to boo a player or a team. In this context, it represents the sound of jeering rather than a request for silence.
- Because of its historical roots, the character 嘘 shares a deep linguistic connection to the concept of 'emptiness' or 'void'. This is because its traditional form is derived from the character 虚, which means 'empty'.
- The character 嘘 contains a 'mouth' radical on the left. This specific component is used across the language to mark characters that imitate sounds or describe the act of speaking.
Examples in context
- 嘘，安静！Oh, hush!This sentence is useful for practicing the command 嘘 in an exclamation.Tatoeba #5102247 by mirrorvan, translation #697744 by papabear
- 请安静一下。Please be quiet for a moment.
- 请大家保持安静。Please everyone, remain silent.
- 你能安静点吗？Can you be a bit quieter?
- 嘘！大家安静一下。Hush! Everyone, please be quiet for a moment.
- 嘘，他在睡觉。Xū, tā zài shuìjiào.Hush, he is sleeping.
- 嘘，别说话。Xū, bié shuōhuà.Hush, don't speak.
Example conversation
In a library, Xiaowen wants to study quietly.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen嘘，这里很安静。Xū, zhèlǐ hěn ānjìng.Hush, it is very quiet here.
- 俊杰 Junjie对不起，我太兴奋了。Duìbuqǐ, wǒ tài xīngfèn le.Sorry, I got too excited.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我们要小声一点。Wǒmen yào xiǎoshēng yīdiǎn.We need to be a bit quieter.
- 俊杰 Junjie好的，我知道了。Hǎo de, wǒ zhīdào le.Okay, I understand.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 嘘, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
