有说有笑 (yǒu shuō yǒu xiào) — talking and laughing (idiom); to be engaged in merry conversation

Definition

A chengyu describing a scene where people chat and laugh together happily. Used as an adverbial phrase (有说有笑地 + verb) or with 的 before a noun (有说有笑的声音).

verb
talking and laughing (idiom)to be engaged in merry conversation

Examples

  • ，有说有笑，。
    Dà jiā biān chī biān liáo, yǒu shuō yǒu xiào, qì fen hěn hǎo.
    Everyone ate and chatted, talking and laughing — the atmosphere was great.
  • 有说有笑。
    Jiào shì lǐ chuán lái yǒu shuō yǒu xiào de shēng yīn.
    The sound of talking and laughter came from the classroom.
  • 有说有笑。
    Tā men liǎ yí lù shang yì zhí yǒu shuō yǒu xiào.
    The two of them were talking and laughing the whole way.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

有说having talk
有yǒuhave说shuōtalk
动宾Verb + object
有笑having laugh
有yǒuhave笑xiàolaugh
动宾Verb + object

有说 and 有笑 picture talking and laughing, conveying merry conversation.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
又
又yòu有yǒu
Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

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
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
又
又yòu有yǒu
Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

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
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
艸
艸cǎo笑xiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

An early 笑 used the grass 艸 for the sound and the dog 犬 for the meaning; later it was written with 竹 and 夭.

Open 笑 →

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