说

說/説

shuì, shuō

兑 + 讠

HSK 2.0Level 1

HSK 3.0Level 1

Definitions

shuō (verb) to speak; to say; to tell

shuō (verb) to explain

shuì (verb) to persuade

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 讠 represents the meaning and 兑 represents the sound.

Semantic: 讠 Phonetic: 兑

About

说 is a phono-semantic compound: the left side 讠 (simplified from 言) provides the meaning 'speech,' and the right side 兑 gives the sound duì. Its primary meaning is to speak, say, or talk. It also extends to explaining something, scolding someone, or acting as a matchmaker, depending on context. Grammatically, it frequently takes a clause as its object to report direct speech or state a personal opinion.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我会说中文。

Wǒ huì shuō Zhōngwén.

I can speak Chinese.

她常说谢谢。

Tā cháng shuō xièxie.

She often says thank you.

请你说清楚。

Qǐng nǐ shuō qīngchu.

Please speak clearly.

他说他累了。

Tā shuō tā lèi le.

He said he is tired.

爸爸说不要玩手机。

Bàba shuō búyào wán shǒujī.

Dad said don't play with the mobile phone.

老师说明天考试。

Lǎoshī shuō míngtiān kǎoshì.

The teacher said there is an exam tomorrow.

我们说说学习的问题吧。

Wǒmen shuōshuō xuéxí de wèntí ba.

Let's talk about the problem of studying.

他说话的方式很有趣。

Tā shuōhuà de fāngshì hěn yǒuqù.

His way of speaking is very interesting.

Related Characters

Component: 兑

Component: 讠

说