嘿 hēi quiet
quiet; silent; hey
How to remember 嘿: 口 mouth + 黑 black = quiet. The kid presses a hand over his mouth as the cinema goes black, and the whole audience falls quiet.
Component breakdown
嘿 = 口 mouth + 黑 black
- 口 mouth
- 黑 black
- sooty vent
- 灬 fire
The kid presses a hand over his mouth as the cinema goes black, and the whole audience falls quiet.
How it is used
- 'Hey!' - a spoken call to get attention or express surprise/smugness: 嘿，你看！(hēi, nǐ kàn) hey, look!
- Also reduplicated as a chuckle 嘿嘿 (hēihēi) heh-heh. Book meaning 'silent' (read hēi) is archaic; modern use is the interjection.