HSK 3

English Meaning

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📚 Example Sentences

孩子哭了。
Házi kū le.
The child cried.
她正在哭。
Tā zhèngzài kū.
She is crying now.
别哭了。
Bié kū le.
Don't cry.
她哭了。
Tā kū le.
She cried.
宝宝哭了。
Bǎobao kū le.
The baby cried.

💡 Memory Tip

Imagine the character 哭: it looks like two eyes (the two '口' parts) with tears falling down, as the top part resembles eyes and the bottom 犬 adds a sense of emotion (like a dog whimpering). Associate it with the sound 'kū,' which might remind you of 'coo'—like a sad, crying sound.

📝 Usage Notes

哭 is used in both spoken and written Chinese across formal and informal contexts. It commonly appears in everyday conversations, literature, and descriptions of emotional states. Typical contexts include expressing personal sadness (e.g., after a loss), physical pain (e.g., from an injury), or empathy (e.g., crying over a touching story).

📖 Grammar Points

哭 can be used as an intransitive verb (e.g., 他在哭, 'He is crying') or transitively with objects like 哭妈妈 (cry for mom). It often combines with adverbs like 一直 (yīzhí, 'continuously') or 大声 (dàshēng, 'loudly'). Common patterns include 哭起来 (start crying) and 哭得 + adjective (e.g., 哭得很伤心, 'cry very sadly').

🏯 Cultural Notes

In Chinese culture, crying is generally accepted as a natural emotional expression, though public crying might be seen as less restrained in formal settings. There are idioms like 哭穷 (kū qióng, 'to complain about being poor') that use 哭 metaphorically. Historically, rituals like 哭丧 (kū sāng, 'wailing at funerals') show its role in traditional customs.

🔄 Similar Words

Similar words include 流泪 (liúlèi, 'to shed tears,' more formal/literary) and 抽泣 (chōuqì, 'to sob,' emphasizing sound). 哭 is the most general and common term for crying, often implying both tears and vocal expression, whereas 流泪 focuses on the tears themselves and can be silent.

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