闻 wén hear
hear; to smell; news
How to remember 闻: 门 door + 耳 ear = hear. The nosy neighbour leans on the garden door with a hand cupped behind her ear, trying to hear every word of the argument next door.
Component breakdown
闻 = 门 door + 耳 ear
- 门 door
- 耳 ear
The nosy neighbour leans on the garden door with a hand cupped behind her ear, trying to hear every word of the argument next door.
How it is used
- Two jobs: to smell (闻一闻 wén yī wén, take a sniff) and 'news/to hear of' in compounds.
- 新闻 (xīnwén) = the news; 闻名 (wénmíng) = famous/well-known: 闻名世界 (wénmíng shìjiè) world-renowned.
- For smelling, 闻 is the verb; the noun 'smell' is 味道 (wèidào).
- 默默无闻 (mòmò-wúwén) = unknown/obscure; 丑闻 (chǒuwén) = a scandal.
Words with 闻
- 新闻xīnwénnewsHSK 3
- 闻名wénmíngwell-knownHSK 6
- 传闻chuánwénrumorHSK 7
- 喜闻乐见xǐwén-lèjiànto love to hear and see (idiom)HSK 7
- 见闻jiànwénwhat one has seen and heardHSK 7
- 远近闻名yuǎnjìn-wénmíngto be known far and wideHSK 7
- 默默无闻mòmò-wúwénunknownHSK 7
- 丑闻chǒuwénscandalHSK 8
- 孤陋寡闻gūlòu-guǎwénignorant and inexperiencedHSK 8
- 绯闻fēiwénsex scandalHSK 9
- 骇人听闻hàiréntīngwénshockingHSK 9
Example sentences
- 他是新闻记者。 Tā shì xīnwén jìzhě.He's a news reporter.
- 他在报道新闻。 Tā zài bàodào xīnwén.He's reporting the news.