TraceHanzi

聆 meaning and stroke order

líng

To hear, to listen

11 strokesRadical 耳
Strokes11
Pinyinlíng
ToneTone 2
Frequency#3,303
Printable worksheet

How to write 聆, stroke by stroke

11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11

Meaning of 聆

Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.

língsecond tone (rising)
  1. (literary) to hear; to listen

How 聆 is built

Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Ear.

ěrear+lìngto order

耳 gives the meaning and 令 hints at the sound.

Radical: 耳 (ear), shared by 34 characters on this site.

How to remember 聆

聆 puts an ear 耳 next to 令 (lìng, command), which gives the sound. Picture someone turning their ear toward a command to listen closely.

聆 is literary and almost never used alone in speech. You will mostly see it in 聆听 (língtīng), a formal, respectful way to say "listen", often in speeches or writing. Example: 感谢大家聆听。(Gǎnxiè dàjiā língtīng.) Thank you all for listening.

Common mistake: Learners sometimes read 聆 as lìng because of its phonetic 令, but 聆 is second tone, líng. Also do not mix it up with 铃 (líng, bell), which has the metal radical 钅 instead of 耳.

Common words with 聆

Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.

WordPinyinMeaningLevel
聆听língtīngto listen (respectfully)
聆讯língxùnhearing (law)

聆 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

不bù愿yuàn意yì聆líng听tīng的de人rén，才cái是shì真zhēn正zhèng的de聋lóng子zi。
There's no one more deaf than he who does not want to listen.
当dāng一yī位wèi女nǚ性xìng在zài和hé你nǐ说shuō话huà，要yào看kàn着zhe她tā的de眼yǎn睛jīng来lái聆líng听tīng她tā的de话huà。
When a woman is talking to you, listen to what she says with her eyes.

Questions about 聆

How many strokes are in 聆?

聆 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.

What does 聆 mean?

聆 (líng) means to hear, to listen. A common word with it is 聆听 (língtīng), meaning "to listen (respectfully)".

How do you pronounce 聆?

聆 is pronounced líng, in the second tone (rising).

What is the radical of 聆?

The radical of 聆 is 耳, which carries the idea of "ear". Dictionaries list 聆 under this radical.

What is the difference between 聆听 and 听?

听 (tīng) is the everyday word for listen. 聆听 is formal and shows respect, so it suits speeches, ceremonies, or listening to a teacher or expert. In casual talk, 聆听 sounds stiff.

What does 聆讯 mean and where is it used?

聆讯 (língxùn) means a legal hearing. It is common in Hong Kong legal and news language, for example a court hearing before a trial.