TongTong
Sign in

说法 (shuō fǎ) — way of saying something; wording; formulation; account; version (of events); theory; interpretation

Definition

说法 covers two related ideas: the wording itself (how something is said) and a version or interpretation of events. It focuses on the speaker's framing, more concrete than 文字 ('wording/writing in general').

noun
way of saying somethingwordingformulationaccountversion (of events)theoryinterpretation

Examples

  • 说法。
    Wǒ jué de zhè ge shuō fǎ bú tài qīng chǔ.
    I think this wording isn't very clear.
  • ，说法。
    Guān yú zhè jiàn shì, yǒu liǎng zhǒng bù tóng de shuō fǎ.
    Regarding this matter, there are two different versions.
  • 说法。
    Tā de shuō fǎ bǐ jiào róng yì bèi dà jiā jiē shòu.
    His theory is relatively easy for everyone to accept.

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.

说shuōsaying
法fǎmethod

说 and 法 suggest a manner of speaking, hence wording or an account.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
廌廌zhìa type of antelope or caprid
Sound part声符shēngfú
盍
盍hé法fǎ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

法's older form combined 氵 (water) and 廌 (a type of antelope or caprid), with 盍 as a sound part; later 廌 was dropped.

Open 法 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4Communication & Speech3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 4 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.