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俗语 (sú yǔ) — common saying; proverb; folk saying

Definition

A folk saying passed down among ordinary people, reflecting everyday life wisdom. Same meaning as 俗话; narrower than 名言 (often from a notable figure) and less literary than 成语.

noun
common sayingproverbfolk saying
Measure word · 句

Examples

  • “，”，俗语。
    Sú huà shuō "qiān lǐ sòng é máo, lǐ qīng qíng yì zhòng", zhè jù sú yǔ hěn yǒu dào lǐ.
    As the saying goes, 'A goose feather sent from a thousand li away is a light gift but carries deep meaning' — this common saying is very true.
  • 俗语。
    Tā yǐn yòng le yí jù sú yǔ lái quàn péng you bú yào qīng yì fàng qì.
    He quoted a common saying to advise his friend not to give up easily.
  • 俗语。
    Zhè xiē sú yǔ fǎn yìng le lǎo bǎi xìng de shēng huó zhì huì.
    These folk sayings reflect the wisdom of ordinary people.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

俗súcommon
语yǔword or language

俗 means common and 语 means word or language, so it refers to a widely used saying.

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 語; 语 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
吾
吾wú語yǔ
Same sound today

The form 語 pairs 言 (speech) with 吾, which gives the sound; this note is about 語, not 语.

Open 语 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Language

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