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说道 (shuō dào) — to say, to utter (used when quoting someone's words directly)

Definition

说道 marks direct speech — the writer reports the exact words just spoken. Unlike 说 alone, it foregrounds the quoting act and is common in narrative prose, followed by a colon and the quoted line.

verb
to sayto utter (used when quoting someone's words directly)

Examples

  • 说道：“。”
    Tā shuō dào: "míng tiān jiàn."
    He said, “See you tomorrow.”
  • 说道：“。”
    Lǎo shī shuō dào: "nǐ men yào nǔ lì xué xí."
    The teacher said, “You must study hard.”
  • 说道：“。”
    Tā xiào zhe shuō dào: "xiè xie dà jiā."
    She said with a smile, “Thank you, everyone.”

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

说shuōspeak
道dàospeak

说 and 道 both mean to speak, so 说道 introduces quoted words.

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
行行xíngstreet
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Open 道 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

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