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字源zìyuánEtymology & Structure
字源洞见 zìyuán dòngjiàn · Etymological Insight
唱 = 口 + 昌, a clean pictophonetic. The mouth radical 口 (kǒu) sits on the left and names the act: this is something done with the open mouth. On the right, 昌 (chāng) is the phonetic, supplying the sound the whole character borrows. The Shuōwén Jiězì glosses 唱 simply as 導也, to lead, the lead voice that the chorus follows.
The phonetic 昌 is itself two suns stacked, 日 over 日, an image of brightness and flourishing prosperity. It carries no meaning into 唱 beyond its sound, yet the pairing is fortunate: a bright, rising thing voiced through the mouth. In the seal script the left element is unmistakably the boxed mouth, the right a doubled radiant disc.
From the core sense of singing, 唱 extended outward along the line of the carrying voice. To 唱 is to call a name aloud at roll-call (唱名), to lead a tune that others take up, to announce a price at auction. The thread is always the same: one voice projected so that others receive it and respond.
Japanese keeps 唱 in 合唱 (gasshō, chorus) and 唱える (tonaeru, to chant or advocate); Korean reads it 창 (chang), the 창 of 합창 (hapchang, chorus) and 창가 (changga, a sung anthem). Across all three the mouth radical holds the meaning steady while only the sound shifts.
歌唱gēchàngSinging, the Everyday Verb
唱歌chàng gēto sing (a song)
V 动词 dòngcí
唱 chàng (to sing) + 歌 gē (song). A verb-object pair, the default way to say "sing" in everyday speech. Because 歌 is the built-in object, you split the two to insert measure words or aspect: 唱一首歌 (sing one song), 唱了三个小时 (sang for three hours).
合 hé (to join, to combine) + 唱 chàng (to sing). Voices joined into one: a chorus, or the act of singing together. 合唱团 héchàngtuán is a choir. Contrast with 独唱 dúchàng, a solo, where one voice stands alone.
The whole school sang the national anthem in chorus.
辨析 biànxī · 合唱 vs. 独唱 合唱 is many voices together; 独唱 (dúchàng) is a single voice performing alone. 伴唱 (bànchàng) is backup singing behind a lead.
歌唱gēchàngto sing (in praise); singing as an art
V 动词 dòngcí
歌 gē (song) + 唱 chàng (to sing). More formal and elevated than 唱歌. Used for singing as a discipline and for singing in celebration: 歌唱家 gēchàngjiā is a professional vocalist, and 歌唱祖国 means to sing the praises of one's homeland.
他是一位著名的歌唱家。
Tā shì yí wèi zhùmíng de gēchàngjiā.
He is a famous vocalist.
声乐shēngyuèVoice, Stage & Recording
演唱yǎnchàngto perform (a song); vocal performance
V 动词 dòngcí
演 yǎn (to perform) + 唱 chàng (to sing). To sing before an audience as a performance. 演唱会 yǎnchànghuì is a concert, the standard word for a pop or vocal live show.
这首歌由她亲自演唱。
Zhè shǒu gē yóu tā qīnzì yǎnchàng.
This song is performed by her in person.
我买到了演唱会的票。
Wǒ mǎi dào le yǎnchànghuì de piào.
I managed to buy tickets to the concert.
唱片chàngpiànrecord; disc (vinyl, album)
N 名词 míngcí
唱 chàng (to sing) + 片 piàn (a thin flat piece). A singing-disc: the physical record that holds recorded sound. 唱片公司 chàngpiàn gōngsī is a record label. The word predates and survives digital formats.
他收藏了很多老唱片。
Tā shōucáng le hěn duō lǎo chàngpiàn.
He has collected many old records.
唱反调chàng fǎndiàoto deliberately disagree; to sing a different tune
V 动词 dòngcí
唱 chàng (to sing) + 反调 fǎndiào (an opposing tune). To voice the contrary position on purpose, to be the one who always sings against the prevailing note. Colloquial and faintly critical.
He always likes to sing a different tune from everyone else.
成语chéngyǔIdioms & Set Phrases
夫唱妇随fū chàng fù suíthe husband sings, the wife follows: marital harmonyA classical image of a married couple in accord: one leads with a tune and the other takes it up. 唱 here is the lead voice, the partner who 随 (suí) follows in step.
一唱一和yì chàng yì hèone sings, the other echoes: to chime in and back each other upOriginally one voice leads and another harmonizes (和 hè, to respond in tune). Now usually mildly negative: two people egging each other on or colluding to push the same line.
唱独角戏chàng dújiǎoxìto sing a one-man show: to carry the whole thing aloneFrom opera, where a 独角戏 is a one-actor play. Used when someone is left doing all the talking or all the work while no one else joins in.
一唱百和yì chàng bǎi hèone sings, a hundred answer: a single voice draws a crowd of agreementOne person 唱 starts the note and a hundred others 和 (hè) chime in. Used for an idea or call that instantly wins broad, eager support.
记忆法 jìyìfǎ · Master Retention Image
Picture a street singer at dawn. On the left of her stands an open mouth, 口, rounded into an O as the first note leaves it. Behind her the sky shows two suns stacked one above the other, 昌, the morning blaze doubling its own light. The mouth gives the singing; the twin suns give only the bright, rising sound that carries the word.
Hold that split. The meaning lives entirely in the little square 口 on the left, the part you can see making the sound. The right half, 昌, is borrowed light: it tells your ear the syllable is near "chāng" and pushes it to the falling fourth tone, chàng, the voice dropping at the end of the breath.
Now let the crowd gather. One mouth becomes many in 合唱, voices joined; the bright disc spins flat in 唱片, the singing pressed onto a record; and on stage it grows into 演唱, the performed song. Every one of them keeps that same open mouth on the left, the act of voicing held steady while the world around it changes.
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