Definition
扑腾 is an onomatopoeia that describes a heavy, dull thumping or flapping sound — like something heavy falling, a bird flapping its wings, or a fish flopping on the ground. You can use it as a standalone sound word or as a verb meaning 'to flap/thrash about'. It's informal and vivid, often used in spoken Chinese to describe clumsy or energetic movements.
onomatopoeia
thumpthud (sound of something heavy falling or flapping)
verb
to flapto thrash about
Examples
- 扑腾，。Zhǐ tīngjiàn pū teng yì shēng, yí ge dà xiāngzi diào le xiàlái.I just heard a thud — a big box fell down.
- 扑腾扑腾。Xiǎo niǎo zài lóngzi lǐ pū teng pū teng de pāi zhe chìbǎng.The little bird was flapping its wings in the cage with a thumping sound.
- 扑腾。Yú zài àn shàng pū teng le jǐ xià jiù bú dòng le.The fish flopped a few times on the bank and then stopped moving.
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