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俗话说 (sú huà shuō) — as the saying goes

Definition

俗话说 (súhuàshuō) is a fixed phrase meaning 'as the saying goes' — used to introduce a well-known proverb or folk saying, always followed by the saying itself.

verb
as the saying goes

Examples

  • 俗话说，。
    sú huà shuō, Zǎo qǐ de niǎo r yǒu chóng chī.
    As the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm.
  • 俗话说，。
    sú huà shuō, Hǎo mǎ bù chī huí tóu cǎo.
    As the saying goes, a good horse doesn't turn back to eat the grass.
  • ，。
    sú huà shuō De hǎo, yuǎn qīn bù rú jìn lín.
    As the saying goes, a close neighbor is better than a distant relative.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
谷
谷gǔ俗sú
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

俗 is built from 亻, a person, and 谷, which gives the sound; it refers to customs of people.

Open 俗 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 話; 话 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánword
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠯑
𠯑𠯑話huà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 話, 言 relates to words and 𠯑 gives the sound; the simplified 话 is a shorthand, so its right side is not that sound part.

Open 话 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 說; 说 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
兌
兌duì說shuō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 說 pairs 言 (meaning) with 兌 (sound); the simplified 说 is not the form described here.

Open 说 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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