Meaning of 铃
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (small) bell
Measure word: 隻|只
How to use 铃
铃 is rarely used alone in everyday speech. It usually appears in compounds like 铃声 (língshēng, ringtone), 门铃 (ménlíng, doorbell) and 铃铛 (língdang, little bell). Example: 门铃响了。(Ménlíng xiǎng le.) The doorbell rang.
铃 combines the metal radical 钅 with 令 (lìng), which gives the sound. Picture a small metal object that makes a sound when it is rung, and you have a bell.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 铃 with 玲 (líng), which has the jade radical 王 and is common in girls' names, or with 冷 (lěng, cold), which has the ice radical 冫. If the meaning is a bell, it needs the metal radical 钅.
铃 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
铃 líng · bell · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 铃.
Questions about 铃
What does 铃 mean?
铃 (líng) means "(small) bell" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 铃?
铃 is made of 1 character: 铃 (10 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 铃 an HSK word?
Yes. 铃 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 铃 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 铃 is written 鈴.
Why does 马铃薯 (mǎlíngshǔ) mean potato?
The word literally suggests a tuber shaped like the bells hung on horses, since 马 means horse and 薯 means tuber. In daily speech many people simply say 土豆 (tǔdòu) instead.
How do I say a phone or alarm is ringing with 铃?
Use 响 (xiǎng, to sound), as in 铃响了 (líng xiǎng le) or 手机铃声响了 (shǒujī língshēng xiǎng le). For an alarm clock, 闹铃 (nàolíng) is a common word.