叙

敍/敘

xù

余 + 又

Frequency#1607

Definitions

xù (verb) to narrate; to tell; to describe

xù (verb) to chat; to talk

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 又 represents the meaning and 余 represents the sound. Simplified form of 敘.

Semantic: 又 Phonetic: 余

About

The character "叙" derives from its traditional form "敘", structured with "余" as a likely phonetic element and "攴" as a radical denoting action, originally conveying the sense of arranging or putting in order. This core idea of systematic organization naturally evolved to encompass the orderly recounting of events, leading to its meaning of narration or discourse. The simplified form "叙" replaces the component "攴" with "又", modifying the graphical construction while the character retains its association with sequenced expression and conversation.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical Wu (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他在叙述故事。

Tā zài xùshù gùshi.

He is narrating a story.

她喜欢叙述经历。

Tā xǐhuān xùshù jīnglì.

She likes to narrate experiences.

我们昨天叙旧了。

Wǒmen zuótiān xùjiù le.

We reminisced about old times yesterday.

这本书叙事清晰。

Zhè běn shū xùshì qīngxī.

This book narrates clearly.

他详细叙述了事件经过。

Tā xiángxì xùshùle shìjiàn jīngguò.

He narrated the course of the event in detail.

在会议上，他叙述了公司的计划。

Zài huìyì shàng, tā xùshùle gōngsī de jìhuà.

At the meeting, he narrated the company's plan.

叙事情节需要更生动。

Xùshì qíngjié xūyào gèng shēngdòng.

The narrative plot needs to be more vivid.

尽管时间有限，他还是完整地叙述了整个故事。

Jǐnguǎn shíjiān yǒuxiàn, tā háishì wánzhěng de xùshùle zhěnggè gùshi.

Despite the limited time, he still narrated the entire story completely.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 余

Component: 又

叙