Core Meaning and Usage
The character 听 (tīng) primarily means "to listen" or "to hear." It is one of the most common verbs in Mandarin used when referring to the act of perceiving sound or paying attention to spoken information.
Common Collocations
- 听音乐 (tīng yīnyuè): listen to music
- 听老师 (tīng lǎoshī): listen to the teacher
- 听说 (tīngshuō): to hear (a piece of news), to be told
These collocations are very frequent in daily conversation and written Chinese. 听说 is especially useful for reporting information heard from others.
Usage Notes
When using 听, the focus is on the act of receiving auditory information. It can be used both literally (listening to sounds) and figuratively (hearing news). Unlike 看 (to see), 听 requires the listener’s attention to sound. It is often paired with adverbs like 认真 (carefully) to emphasize attentiveness.
Common Confusion
Do not confuse 听 with 闻 (wén), which also means "to hear" but is more formal and often used in written language or in the sense of perceiving smells. 听 is the everyday spoken verb for listening.