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HSK 1

听

to listen; to hear

verbneutral5 episodes
听
tīng1st tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
tīng
Part of speech
verb
Level
HSK 1
Strokes
7
Register
neutral
In episodes
5

Stroke order for 听

听 is written with 7 strokes. The animation replays automatically.

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). It is one of the four core skill verbs Chinese learners drill alongside 说 (speak), 读 (read), and 写 (write).

Hear 听 in real episodes

听 appears in 5 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.

A Magnitude 7.4 Quake Flattened Western Colombia. Under the Rubble, a Trapped Man Said: 'I'm With a Baby.'听 spoken at natural speedbeginnerA Radio Caroline Worker Played King Charles's Obituary 'Out of Curiosity', Then Ran. 16 Minutes of Silence Followed.听 spoken at natural speedbeginnerColombia Swore In a New President in a University Arena. The Old One Locked the Barracks and Stayed Home.听 spoken at natural speedbeginnerThe Man Behind That Song in Once: Irish Singer Glen Hansard Dies in a Crash听 spoken at natural speedeasyThe Irishman Who Wrote Songs, Sang, and Won a Big Prize: Glen Hansard Has Died听 spoken at natural speedbeginner
Browse the full episode library

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

听音乐tīng yīnyuèlisten to music
听课tīng kèattend / listen to a lecture
听见tīngjiànhear (perceive)
听不懂tīng bù dǒngcan't understand (what's said)
听话tīng huàbe obedient (lit. 'listen to words')

Synonyms

听见tīngjiàn

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

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.

看kàn

看 is 'to look / read / watch' — eyes-based. 听 is 'to listen / hear' — ears-based. 看电视 watch TV; 听音乐 listen to music. Some media take both: 看电影 (watch a movie, the visuals), 听电影 is wrong.

FAQ

Related words from the same episodes

爱to love兵soldier唱to sing车祸crash错wrong大学university倒to fall over, to collapse地方place, spot地震earthquake电台radio station电影film房子building, house

Acquire it by listening

Meet 听 again — in real Chinese, at your level.

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