# To bark



## yuechu

大家好！

I noticed that the word "bark" (as in a dog barking) can be translated as 吠 or 叫. Which one is more common? Would 吠 be used in informal conversation? I notice that Google Pinyin doesn't recognize "fei sheng" or "gou fei sheng" for some reason... (Is that because it is rare?)
Thanks!


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## radagasty

吠 refers specifically to a dog’s bark, whereas 叫 can be a call of any sort, from man or beast. Thus, 我聽到吠聲 unequivocally means that you hear barking, whereas, if you use 叫, you need to specifically mention ‘dog’: 我聽到狗叫.

I’d say that neither is rare. Note also the common proverb 粵犬吠雪.


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## yuechu

OK! Thanks, Radagasty! 
So if you wanted to say that a dog was barking (in an informal conversation), would it be "一只狗在吠"?


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## Bule&sky

You can translate bark as 叫 and use 叫 on most situations, and for any animals.


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## T.D

吠 is rarely used in daily conversation. 叫 is far more common. 
and we also have 吼, which means to shout or roar (applies to men and animals alike)


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## yuechu

Good to know! Thank you both for your help!


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## SuperXW

radagasty said:


> Thus, 我聽到吠聲 unequivocally means that you hear barking, whereas, if you use 叫, you need to specifically mention ‘dog’: 我聽到狗叫.
> I’d say that neither is rare. Note also the common proverb 粵犬吠雪.


吠 is now a formal written word in Mandarin and 叫 is far more common.
吠 is rare in oral conversation and 粵犬吠雪 is even more rare. Many people don't know the idiom at all.
The reason radagasty said they were common might because (I guess): a. they were common in Cantonese; b. in the point of view of highly-educated people, they might be common?
Forgive me for wanting to say "obviously" again...


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## radagasty

yuechu said:


> 一只狗在吠



This sentence did sound unnatural to me, but I was waiting for some native speakers of Mandarin to chime in before saying so.

As for 粵犬吠雪, I am surprised to hear that the proverb is not widely known, for I have the impression that I am used to hearing it, even in spoken language, despite 犬 not being the colloquial word for ‘dog’.


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## T.D

Both 蜀犬吠日 and 粤犬吠雪 are from 《答韦中立论师道书》 by 柳宗元 and they share the same meaning.


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## Skatinginbc

吠字臺語口語中也常用 (e.g., 臺語: 狗仔咧吠 = 國語: 狗在叫).

狗有時像狼一樣會「嚎/嗥」(howling),  汪汪叫的 barking 是「吠」


yuechu said:


> So if you wanted to say that a dog was barking (in an informal conversation), would it be "一只狗在吠"?


一隻狗在汪汪叫.


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## yuechu

Skatinginbc said:


> 一隻狗在汪汪叫.


This is in Mandarin, right? Thanks for the example, Skatinginbc!

非常感谢大家！


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## SuperXW

Yes, 一只狗在汪汪叫 is in Mandarin.
汪 woof
汪汪叫 cry "woof, woof" (bark)


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## yuechu

How about if you want to talk about a dog barking +at someone? Would it be "这只狗在汪汪叫一个人"? (or do you need a preposition in Chinese?)
Thanks!


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## ovaltine888

对着一个人汪汪大叫


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## yuechu

Thanks, Ovaltine888!


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## Messquito

基本上台灣的使用習慣也是：叫口語，吠書寫。
不過由於台語(Taiwanese Hokkien)裡吠很常用，所以比起其他地方，吠在口語裡的使用頻率也許比較高。像是我們覺得某個人一直煩你很吵的時候，可以說「不要再叫了」，但是若說「不要再吠了」更具體，更有力量。
另外，這裡還有一個詞很常見：*狗吠火車*，是「*徒勞無功*」的意思。


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## ikuta erika

Messquito said:


> 基本上台灣的使用習慣也是：叫口語，吠書寫。
> 不過由於台語(Taiwanese Hokkien)裡吠很常用，所以比起其他地方，吠在口語裡的使用頻率也許比較高。像是我們覺得某個人一直煩你很吵的時候，可以說「不要再叫了」，但是若說「不要再吠了」更具體，更有力量。
> 另外，這裡還有一個詞很常見：*狗吠火車*，是「*徒勞無功*」的意思。


事实上，在大陆也有这样的用法，但含有指对方是狗的意思，因此是很重的说法，一般不会轻易这样说。


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## yuechu

Thank you all for your replies!



ovaltine888 said:


> 对着一个人汪汪大叫


Is 对着 the same as 对 here？


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## SuperXW

yuechu said:


> Is 对着 the same as 对 here？


From the dictionary:

着 [zhe]

助词
（表示动作的持续）:
The wind is blowing gently.
风轻轻地吹着。
He went in carrying his suitcase.
他提着箱子走了进去。

（表示状态的持续）:
The window is open.
窗子开着。
There is a radio on the table.; A radio stands on the table.
桌子上放着一台收音机。


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## yuechu

Thanks, SuperXW! I saw a definition for it ("showing action in progress") but wasn't completely sure about it since I'm used to the -ing in English only modifying verbs. It looks like 着 can be used with prepositions (对) and adjectives (开) too, right?

谢谢！


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## SuperXW

yuechu said:


> Thanks, SuperXW! I saw a definition for it ("showing action in progress") but wasn't completely sure about it since I'm used to the -ing in English only modifying verbs. It looks like 着 can be used with prepositions (对) and adjectives (开) too, right?





SuperXW said:


> From the dictionary:
> 
> 着 [zhe]
> 助词
> （表示*动作*的持续）: *<- applicable to verbs*
> （表示*状态*的持续）: *<- applicable to prepositions / adjectives*


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## AquisM

radagasty said:


> This sentence did sound unnatural to me, but I was waiting for some native speakers of Mandarin to chime in before saying so.
> 
> As for 粵犬吠雪, I am surprised to hear that the proverb is not widely known, for I have the impression that I am used to hearing it, even in spoken language, despite 犬 not being the colloquial word for ‘dog’.


This is the first time I've heard of 粵犬吠雪.


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