[General] boing

[FONT=新細明體][/FONT]I am not fully understand theunderlined sentence extracted from the New York Times as written.

Incense drifting through ancient. Saffron-robed monks, limbs a blur ofmovement, making quick work of imagined enemies. The boing of a giant bronzebell calling the faithful to prayer.


My questions are:
1. What is "boing"? Is it a kind of sound?
2. It seems to be no verb in the underlined sentence. Is it correct?
3. Does "the faithful" mean "people who are faithful"?
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I think this is the full article:
http://cn.nytimes.com/china/20150806/c06shaolin/en-us/

As for "boing", I found this:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/boing

So, you're right. It's the sound/noise of the bell.

contiluo said:

2. It seems to be no verb in the underlined sentence. Is it correct?

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I can't see a finite verb in the underlined text, so I consider it a phrase instead of a sentence, but I am not a teacher.

Thank you for the link to the full article, tzfujimino. It makes things much clearer. Contiluo, please note that this would have been helpful in your original post.

There is no main verb in the first part of the quotation, either, and 'cedars' is missing after 'ancient'.

The following paragraph explains everything: the phrases are setting the scene at the fabled Shaolin Temple.

contiluo said:

I am not fully understand...
It seems to be no verb in the underlined sentence.

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I would use 'do' and 'there' instead of 'am' and 'It' respectively, but I am not a teacher.

Am I the only one that finds the use of the word "boing" odd, in the context of a giant bronze bell?

I feel that "boing" is the sound a metal spring makes, such as on a jack-in-the-box, or when the spring breaks out of something like a matress, or mechanical toy. The definition posted by tzfujimino seems to confirm that. "Boing" is usually a bouncy sound, and I don't remember many bells, especially large one's that sounded bouncy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7vfbyFl5kc


For me the natural sound of a large temple bell is represented by one of the standard noise words, namely, "bong".
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/bong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VI2IRq17rs

I would use "bong" or "dong" for the sound of a large bell. I associate "boing" with springs and kangaroos!

Piscean said:

... and Zebedee.

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Well, for Zebedee, I always say "Buh-doing" (followed by "Time for bed, said Zebedee").

In case you all think we're going mad ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZTBDnj0Cgc

I have to admit that it just sounds like "boing" on the video.

Piscean said:

You are probably the sort of philistine who likes Disney's Pooh.

'Buh-doing' indeed! Is nothing sacred?

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I'll pretend you didn't say that about my beloved ENGLISH Winnie-ther-Pooh.

We digress! As usual. I still wouldn't say boing for a bell. Just before Big Ben strikes 12 times at midnight on New Year's Eve, we Brits have been known to say "Are you ready for the bongs?"