笑声
xiàoshēng · HSK 6
laughter
😂 笑声 = laugh + sound — the noise of laughter itself
笑 (xiào) means laugh or smile, 声 (shēng) means sound or voice. Together they literally spell out laugh-sound. Xiào even echoes the ha-ha exhale of a real laugh.
笑 — bamboo radical 竹 (⺮) + 夭 (yāo, bending)
Originally written with the bamboo radical over 夭, depicting a person bending or swaying. One traditional reading is that bamboo bends in the wind like a person doubling over with laughter. The character has meant 'laugh, smile' since early times, with no major shift in meaning.
声 — 士 scholar/warrior on top + 尸-like form + components (simplified from 聲)
声 is the simplified form of 聲, which originally depicted a hanging stone chime (殸) being struck, with 耳 'ear' below to show hearing. The full form combined the sound-making instrument and the act of listening, meaning 'sound' or 'voice'. The modern simplified 声 keeps only the upper portion.