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听说 (tīng shuō) — to hear (that), to be told (that)

Definition

听说 means 'I've heard (that)…' — reporting something you learned through others, not something you witnessed yourself. Unlike 据说的书面感, this is everyday speech; use 听见 for actually perceiving sound with your ears.

verb
to hear (that)to be told (that)

Examples

  • 听说。
    Wǒ tīng shuō tā míng tiān huì lái.
    I heard that he will come tomorrow.
  • 听说，。
    tīng shuō Xià wǔ yào xià yǔ, jì de dài sǎn.
    I hear it's going to rain this afternoon — remember to bring an umbrella.
  • 听说？
    Nǐ tīng shuō nà jiā cān tīng de cài hěn hǎo chī ma?
    Have you heard that the food at that restaurant is delicious?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

听tīnghear
说shuōspeak

The 听 hearing and 说 speaking are paired, pointing to what one hears from others.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 聽; 听 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 聽 has 耳 (ear) and 口 (mouth), used for listening; the simplified 听 is a later shortened form unrelated to that picture.

Open 听 →

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
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