说定 (shuō dìng) — to settle on; to agree on (after discussion)

Definition

说定 means two or more people have reached a mutual decision after discussion — 'settled on / agreed on'. The focus is on the agreement itself being final, not on the act of negotiating.

verb
to settle onto agree on (after discussion)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 说定。
    Wǒ men shuō dìng le xià cì jiàn miàn de shí jiān.
    We settled on the time for our next meeting.
  • 说定。
    Tā yǐ jīng shuō dìng míng tiān yì qǐ qù.
    He has already agreed to go together tomorrow.
  • 说定，。
    Zhè jiàn shì hái méi shuō dìng, dà jiā zài tǎo lùn yí xià.
    This matter hasn't been settled yet—let's discuss it further.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

说shuōtalk
定dìngsettle

说 means to talk or discuss, and 定 means to settle or fix; together they mean to reach an agreement.

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 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 →

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
正
正zhèng定dìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

定 is built from 宀 and 正, with 正 supplying the sound.

Open 定 →

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