‘号哭’ is a compound verb meaning 'to wail bitterly' — a loud, unrestrained, and emotionally overwhelming form of crying, often associated with intense grief, despair, or shock. The first character 号 (háo) means 'to shout' or 'to cry out loudly', especially in a prolonged, piercing way (as in 号叫); the second character 哭 (kū) means 'to cry' or 'to weep'. Together, they intensify each other: not just crying, but crying with full vocal force and visible distress.

This word carries strong literary and emotional weight. It appears frequently in formal writing, news reports, literature, and dramatic speech — rarely in casual daily conversation, where simpler terms like 哭 or 大哭 are preferred. It’s commonly used to describe reactions to sudden loss, tragedy, or extreme suffering, and may imply physical collapse, sobbing, or uncontrollable vocalization. While both characters share the same pronunciation in this compound (háokū), note that 号 has multiple readings — here it’s háo, not hào (as in 编号).