説 (shuō) - To speak & to explain

説Tone 1

shuō ｜ 14 strokes ｜ radical:

树檀

説 · shuō

To speak;

to explain;

theory;

doctrine;

to persuade;

to criticize (traditional form of 说).

To speakto explaintheory

Usage highlights

TheorySpeechExplanationHypothesisPersuadeCriticize

Synonyms

  • 说— to speak; to say (simplified equivalent)
  • 讲— to speak; to explain
  • 谈— to talk; to discuss

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He explained the theory (学说).
  • She spoke eloquently (演说).
  • This is just a hypothesis (假说).
  • The teacher criticized his work (说他的作业).

Collocations

  • Theory(学说)
  • Speech(演说)
  • Explanation(说明)
  • Hypothesis(假说)
  • Persuade(说服)
  • Criticize(说教)

Idioms

  • To speak frankly and sincerely(直言说论)
  • To talk nonsense(胡说八道)
  • To present one's views(说长道短)
  • Fantastic stories(说神说鬼)
  • To explain clearly(说清道明)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Traditional form of 说, commonly used in historical texts and classical Chinese.
  • In Japanese, 説 remains the standard form for 'theory' or 'explanation'.
  • Represents the classical concept of discourse and philosophical explanation.

FAQ