TongTong
Sign in

据说 (jù shuō) — it is said that; reportedly

Definition

据说 marks unverified hearsay — it is said / reportedly. More formal and hearsay-focused than 听说 (which centers on what you personally heard), and unlike 传说 it is not used for legends.

verb
it is said thatreportedly

Examples

  • 据说。
    jù shuō Míng tiān huì xià yǔ.
    It is said that it will rain tomorrow.
  • 据说。
    jù shuō Tā qù nián yǐ jīng jié hūn le.
    It is said that he got married last year.
  • 据说。
    jù shuō Zhè jiā cān tīng de cài hěn hǎo chī.
    It is said that the food at this restaurant is very tasty.

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.

据jùaccording to
说shuōsay

据 points to according to and 说 points to say, so together they convey what is said or reported.

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
居
居jū据jù
Same sound today

据 uses 手 (hand) as one part and 居 to give the sound.

Open 据 →

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 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Communication & Speech5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.