听
to listen; to hear
HSK level
- Pinyin
- tīng
- Part of speech
- verb
- Level
- HSK 1
- Strokes
- 7
- Register
- neutral
- In episodes
- 1
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).
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.
Hear 听 in real episodes
听 appears in 1 Fluentide podcast episode at natural native speed. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.
他们想睡觉，可是一直听见开会的声音。
They want to sleep, but they keep hearing the sound of meetings.
Fast Plane Wi-Fi Brings Noisy Work Calls
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
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.
Frequently asked questions
Related words from the same episodes
Acquire it by listening
Meet 听 again — in real Chinese, at your level.
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