别哭
bié kū
The English phrase "stop crying" is translated into Chinese as 别哭 (bié kū).
别哭 is a command used to tell someone to end their act of weeping. In natural conversation, the form 别哭了 is more commonly used to tell someone to stop the crying they are currently performing.
What does it mean word for word?
别 (bié) means 'don't' and 哭 (kū) means 'to cry'.
Which one should you use?
别哭 is a direct command to not cry. The form 别哭了 adds a particle at the end to change the nuance, suggesting that the person should stop the action they are currently performing.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the particle 了 at the end of 别哭 changes the nuance to suggest that the person should stop the action they are currently performing.
How do you pronounce it?
bié kū
Did you know?
- In some Chinese cultural contexts, professional mourners were once hired to cry at funerals, making the command 别哭 a literal instruction to stop a paid professional service.
- In certain poetic or dramatic contexts, instead of telling someone to stop crying, one might use the phrase 收声 (shōu shēng), which literally means 'collect your voice', to tell someone to be quiet or stop making noise.
- The character 哭 is a pictograph that originally depicted a mouth with sounds coming out of it, visually representing the physical act of wailing.
Examples in context
- 别哭了 ，我会一直陪着你。Don't cry, I'll be here with you.
- 不要再哭了 ，妈妈在这里。Don't cry anymore, Mom is here.
- 别哭了，没事的。bié kū le, méi shì de.Stop crying, it's okay.
- 你别哭了，我陪你。nǐ bié kū le, wǒ péi nǐ.Stop crying, I'll stay with you.
Example conversation
A young man is comforting a woman after she bumped her knee.
- 俊杰 Junjie痛吗？tòng ma?Does it hurt?
- 雨婷 Yuting有点痛。yǒu diǎn tòng.It hurts a little.
- 俊杰 Junjie别哭了，很快就好了。bié kū le, hěn kuài jiù hǎo le.Stop crying, it will be fine soon.
- 雨婷 Yuting谢谢你。xiè xiè nǐ.Thank you.
