声言 (shēng yán) — to claim, to declare, to profess (formally or publicly)

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to publicly claim or declare' — stronger and more official than 说. Often used of governments, officials, or formal statements, with a tone closer to 'profess' than casual speech.

verb
to claimto declareto profess (formally or publicly)

Examples

  • 声言。
    Tā shēng yán zì jǐ cóng wèi cān yù nà jiàn shì.
    He claimed that he had never been involved in that matter.
  • 声言。
    Zhèng fǔ shēng yán jiāng cǎi qǔ yí qiè bì yào cuò shī.
    The government declared that it would take all necessary measures.
  • 声言。
    Tā zài fǎ tíng shàng shēng yán zì jǐ wú zuì.
    He declared himself innocent in court.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

声shēngdeclare
言yánsay

声 carries the sense of declaring, and 言 brings the idea of 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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 聲; 声 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
殸
殸qìng聲shēng
Same sound today

The traditional form 聲 pairs 耳 (ear) with 殸 as a sound part; the simplified 声 is a shorthand and does not show those original parts.

Open 声 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The early form of 言 shows an opening and a mark indicating a location; the location is not described as the source of speech.

Open 言 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.