‘悄声’ (qiǎo shēng) is an adverb meaning ‘in a whisper’ or ‘quietly, without making noise’. It combines 悄 (qiǎo), which means ‘quiet’ or ‘stealthy’, and 声 (shēng), meaning ‘sound’ or ‘voice’. Together, they literally convey ‘quiet sound’ — emphasizing the deliberate suppression of volume to avoid disturbing others. It’s commonly used in everyday situations requiring discretion or politeness, such as in libraries, classrooms, hospitals, or when speaking near sleeping people.

The phrase functions as a manner adverb and typically appears before a verb (e.g., 悄声说话, 悄声离开). Unlike the more formal 悄悄地 or literary 悄然, 悄声 feels natural and neutral in spoken and written Chinese, especially in descriptive narration or dialogue tags. It carries no emotional connotation by itself but often implies consideration, secrecy, or caution depending on context.