音节

• Pinyin: yīn jié
• Hanzi breakdown: 音 = 立 (stand) + 日 (sun/mouth), meaning 'sound'; 节 = 艹 (grass) + 卩 (kneeling figure), simplified from 節, meaning 'section'

Meaning

Syllable. The smallest unit of pronunciation in a language.

In Chinese linguistics, each character corresponds to one syllable. Important in Mandarin because tones are carried by syllables. Commonly encountered when studying pinyin and Chinese pronunciation. Each Chinese syllable consists of an initial consonant, a final, and a tone.

Examples

1. 中文里每个字都是一个音节。 In Chinese, every character is one syllable.
2. 老师让我们练习这几个音节。 The teacher asked us to practise these syllables.
3. 学好音节对发音很重要。 Learning syllables well is important for pronunciation.

Usage Guide

Context: academic, language learning

Tone: informational

Do Say

• 这个词有两个音节。(This word has two syllables.)
• 请把每个音节读清楚。(Please pronounce each syllable clearly.)

Don't Say

• 他说话的音节很大。(Don't use 音节 to mean 'volume' — 音节 refers to syllables, not loudness. Say 声音 for voice or sound.)

Origin & History

Compound of 音 (sound) and 节 (section/segment), literally 'sound segment.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal