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胡说 (hú shuō) — to talk nonsense, to drivel

Definition

胡说 is a verb meaning 'to talk nonsense,' typically about what someone is saying — not idle chatter (闲话) or deliberate troublemaking (胡闹). Often used with 别 to tell someone to stop, or with 了/着 to describe the ongoing nonsense.

verb
to talk nonsenseto drivel

Examples

  • 胡说，。
    Tā zài huì shàng hú shuō, méi rén xiāng xìn tā.
    He talked nonsense at the meeting; no one believed him.
  • 胡说，。
    Bié hú shuō le, shuō diǎn yǒu yòng de ba.
    Stop talking nonsense and say something useful.
  • 胡说，。
    Tā yì shēng qì jiù hú shuō, nǐ bié dàng zhēn.
    He talks nonsense whenever he gets angry; don't take it seriously.

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.

胡húrecklessly
说shuōspeak

'胡' adds a sense of reckless nonsense to '说', giving the idea of speaking without basis.

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
⺼Written in full as肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
古
古gǔ胡hú
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

胡 combines 古, which points to its sound, with ⺼ (肉), meaning meat or flesh.

Open 胡 →

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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