铃 líng small bell
How to remember 铃: 钅 gold + 令 command = small bell. The birthday girl dressed as a queen in gold paper gives every command to her guests by ringing a small bell.
Component breakdown
铃 = 钅 gold + 令 command
- 钅 gold
- 令 command
The birthday girl dressed as a queen in gold paper gives every command to her guests by ringing a small bell.
How it is used
- Concrete noun for a small bell or its ring, almost always as the second half of a compound: 门铃 ménlíng "doorbell," 闹铃 nàolíng "alarm," 铃声 língshēng "ringtone."
- Survives alone mainly in the idiom 掩耳盗铃 (yǎn'ěr dàolíng) "covering one's ears while stealing a bell" - self-deception, pretending a problem doesn't exist.