About
The character for "recite" or "chant", present in its simplified form as "诵", originates from the traditional composition "誦", which integrates the speech radical "言" with the phonetic component "甬", creating a semantic-phonetic compound that explicitly associates the word with verbal articulation while guiding its sound. Etymologically, this character has long designated the vocalized, often formalized delivery of written material, such as classical poetry or religious texts, with an emphasis on audible and sometimes memorized performance. While its fundamental sense of oral rendering has persisted through history, the usage has extended in some contexts to include notions of public proclamation or repeated verbalization, yet without departing from its core association with speech acts derived from written sources. The structural evolution from the traditional to the simplified form involved a streamlining of the radical to "讠", but maintained the original conceptual framework linking language and the act of recitation through its enduring components.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
他正在背诵课文。
她每天清晨都会诵经。
学生们大声诵读了这首诗。
为了考试，他反复诵记这些公式。
这首古老的民谣仍在民间传诵。
他用富有感情的声音诵出了心中的哀思。
她喜欢一边在花园散步，一边轻声诵诗。
这部史诗被一代代人传诵，成为了民族的记忆。