籁 (lài) - Sound — refers to natural sounds, especially those & also used to describe beautiful music or literary

籁Tone 4

lài ｜ 19 strokes ｜ radical:

俊梁

籁 · lài

Sound — refers to natural sounds, especially those produced by wind, water, or musical instruments;

also used to describe beautiful music or literary works.

Sound — refers to natural sounds, especially thosealso used to describe beautiful music or literary

Usage highlights

Sounds of natureWind soundsPine soundsWater soundsAll soundsLiterary excellence

Synonyms

  • 声— sound, voice
  • 音— sound, tone
  • 响— sound, noise

Antonyms

  • 寂— silence, quiet
  • 静— stillness, calm

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The sound of wind in the pines(松籁)
  • The sound of flowing water(水籁)
  • The sound of nature(天籁)
  • Beautiful music(万籁)

Collocations

  • Sounds of nature(天籁)
  • Wind sounds(风籁)
  • Pine sounds(松籁)
  • Water sounds(水籁)
  • All sounds(万籁)
  • Literary excellence(文籁)

Idioms

  • All sounds are hushed(万籁俱寂)
  • Nature's symphony(天籁之音)
  • The sound of wind and water(风籁水韵)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally referred to an ancient bamboo wind instrument with three reeds.
  • In Daoist philosophy, 籁 represents natural, spontaneous sounds as opposed to artificial ones.
  • Used in classical Chinese literature to describe the most beautiful and natural sounds.

FAQ