听
to listen; to hear
tīng
What does 听 mean?
听 (tīng) is the everyday verb for 'to listen' and 'to hear' in Chinese. Unlike English, which splits 'listen' (active) and 'hear' (passive), 听 covers both — context tells you which: 我在听音乐 ('I'm listening to music,' active) vs 我听见了 ('I heard it,' completed/perceived). For unambiguous 'hear,' add the result complement 见: 听见 (hear, perceive) or 听到 (hear, receive).
For the meaning 'obey' or 'listen to (advice),' Chinese also uses 听: 听妈妈的话 ('listen to mom / do what mom says'). 听 commonly takes direct objects: 听音乐 (listen to music), 听课 (attend a lecture), 听老师的 (listen to the teacher)
Character breakdown
to listen (simplified from 聽, originally with 耳 'ear'; modern simplified form uses 口 'mouth' + 斤)
Memory hook: The traditional 聽 packs an ear (耳), an eye (目), and a heart (心) — listening with your whole self. The simplified 听 just keeps the action.
Example sentences
我喜欢听音乐。
Wǒ xǐhuan tīng yīnyuè.
I like listening to music.
spoken
请你听我说。
Qǐng nǐ tīng wǒ shuō.
Please listen to what I'm saying.
spoken
我听不懂中文。
Wǒ tīng bù dǒng zhōngwén.
I can't understand spoken Chinese.
spoken
孩子很听话。
Háizi hěn tīng huà.
The child is very obedient.
neutral
Common phrases with 听
Hear it in real Fluentide episodes
听 appears in 9 podcast episodes at natural native speed, with full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
Synonyms
听 is the action of listening; 听见 emphasizes the result — that you actually perceived the sound. 'I'm listening' = 我在听; 'I heard you' = 我听见了.
Don't confuse 听 with
停 (tíng, second tone) means 'to stop.' 听 (tīng, first tone) means 'to listen.' Same right side, but 停 has the 亻 (person) radical and a different tone.
FAQ
Related words from the same episodes
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Hear 听 in real Chinese, not in a flashcard.
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