HanziGuru.詠 · yǒng
詠
yǒng[yong3]Tone 3

to sing, to chant, to compose poetry

HSK 7
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咏
Guru Deep Dive

English · to sing, to chant, to compose poetry

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Topology:Left-right
Strokes:8
Writing Balance Rule: The left mouth radical (口) occupies the upper-left quadrant and is compact, while the right phonetic component (永) is broader and anchors the right side with its signature sweeping hook stroke.
Simplification Logic: Simplified from 詠 to 咏, reducing strokes while maintaining the exact same mouth radical and phonetic component structure.
1. Meaning

to chant or recite poetry

to humto sing (literary)to compose verse about something
VerbLiterary#literature#art#voice#emotion
Sample Usage
  • 吟咏
    yínyǒng
    to chant, to recite rhythmically
  • 咏叹调
    yǒngtàndiào
    aria (in opera)
2. Sound
/[jɔŋ²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
詠
yǒngyong3
++
ˇ(214)
=yǒng
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
yong
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "o" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
y
Type: Glide (y)
Sounds like: Glide (y)
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Acts as a bridge into 'i' or 'ü' vowel sounds.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Raise middle of tongue toward hard palate, gliding effortlessly into vowel.
Final Rhyme
ong
Vowel Group: -o vowel group
Sounds like: -ong rhymes with rung, prefixed with a 'y' glide
Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'h-' (h) with final '-ong' (oong).
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T3 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 starts mid, dips low into the register, and climbs up, similar to saying a skeptical 'Really?' in English.
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 3 character, yǒng changes to a Tone 2 (35) sound, becoming yóng.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse the Tone 3 dipping contour with Tone 4 falling tone. Make sure the voice dips down and finishes higher.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 3 dips down like a valley and rises back up like a hill. Trace a checkmark or a 'V' shape in the air with your finger.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 8 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left mouth radical (口) occupies the upper-left quadrant and is compact, while the right phonetic component (永) is broader and anchors the right side with its signature sweeping hook stroke.

Simplification Logic: Simplified from 詠 to 咏, reducing strokes while maintaining the exact same mouth radical and phonetic component structure.

4. Components

Radical 口 · Mouth Radical (mouth, speaking, vocalizing)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 口 (indicates that the action involves using the mouth to produce sound, sing, or chant.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 永 (original sound: yǒng)

You use your **mouth** (口) to produce a long, perpetual song or chant forever, just like the meaning of **everlasting** (永).

  • 口 Mouth (semantic clue for singing/chanting)
  • 永 Everlasting (phonetic clue for the sound yǒng)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the mouth symbol (口) representing vocal sound and speech, and the character for perpetual or eternal (永) which provides both the pronunciation and a poetic nuance of lingering, enduring song.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred to prolonged chanting or singing of poetry, later expanded to cover poetic composition and musical arias.

  • Often used in classical Chinese poetry titles to denote verses written to express deep emotion or admiration.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
vịnh
The Chinese Tone 3 dipping pitch corresponds roughly to the Vietnamese hỏi/ngã tone range.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: エイ (ei) / Kun: うた.う (uta.u)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
영
Sound Shift Bridge: Shared ancient phonetic root yǒng across East Asian cultural vocabulary.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

With an open **mouth** (口), you sing an **everlasting** (永) melody that echoes forever.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
永
yǒngforeverPhonetic Core (声旁)
泳
yǒngswimming+ 氵 (water)
咏
yǒngto sing, to chant, to compose poetry+ 口 (mouth)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
泳(yǒng)
咏 has a mouth radical (口) for singing; 泳 has a water radical (氵) for swimming.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
詩人們喜歡在大自然中[___]作詩。
Clue: yǒng
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing it with 泳 (swim) because they share the exact same pronunciation and tone.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see the character 咏 with a mouth on the left and everlasting on the right, what does it mean and how is it read?
Production: How do you write the literary character for 'to chant or sing poetry' (yǒng)?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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