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说来话长 (shuō lái huà cháng) — it's a long story

Definition

A set phrase meaning 'it's a long story' — used to signal that an explanation will take time, often as a standalone reply to a question. Note: labeled as a verb, but it functions as an idiom/predicate and rarely takes an object.

verb
it's a long story

Examples

  • 说来话长，。
    shuō lái huà cháng, Wǒ màn màn gēn nǐ shuō ba.
    It's a long story — let me tell you slowly.
  • ？说来话长！
    Nǐ wèi shén me lí kāi nà jiā gōng sī? shuō lái huà cháng!
    Why did you leave that company? It's a long story!
  • 说来话长，。
    Zhè jiàn shì shuō lái huà cháng, sān yán liǎng yǔ shuō bù qīng chǔ.
    This matter is a long story — a few words can't make it clear.

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.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Open 来 →

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 話; 话 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánword
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠯑
𠯑𠯑話huà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 話, 言 relates to words and 𠯑 gives the sound; the simplified 话 is a shorthand, so its right side is not that sound part.

Open 话 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 長; 长 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 長 pictures an old man with long hair. The simplified 长 is a later shorthand, so its strokes do not show that original picture.

Open 长 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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