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游说 (yóu shuì) — to lobby, to canvass, to go around persuading (esp. in politics or business)

Definition

游说 (yóu shuì) means to actively campaign and persuade decision-makers — usually in politics, business, or policy — going beyond simply convincing someone. Note the tone change: shuì (4th tone) here, not shuō.

verb
to lobbyto canvassto go around persuading (esp. in politics or business)

Examples

  • 游说。
    Tā jīng cháng qù guó huì yóu shuì yì yuán men zhī chí xīn fǎ àn.
    He often goes to Congress to lobby lawmakers to support the new bill.
  • 游说。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī huā le dà bǐ zī jīn yóu shuì zhèng fǔ guān yuán.
    This company spent a large amount of money lobbying government officials.
  • ，游说。
    Wèi le tuī dòng huán bǎo zhèng cè, tā sì chù yóu shuì gè fāng rén shì.
    To promote the environmental policy, he went around lobbying people from all sides.

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
斿
斿yóu游yóu
Same sound today

游 combines 水 (water) with 斿, which gives the sound yóu and also relates to travelling.

Open 游 →

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
Government & Politics

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