讲 (jiǎng) — to speak, to tell; to explain; to be particular about, to emphasize
Definition
讲 is versatile: it means 'to tell a story' or 'to explain' (more thorough than 说, which is plain 'to say/speak'). It also means 'to be particular about' something like manners or quality, similar to 讲究.
verb
to speakto tellto explainto be particular aboutto emphasize
Examples
- 讲。Tā gěi wǒ men jiǎng le yí gè gù shi.He told us a story.
- 讲。Qǐng nǐ zài jiǎng yí biàn.Please explain it once more.
- 讲。Tā hěn jiǎng lǐ mào.He is very particular about manners.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 講; 讲 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
冓
冓gòu講jiǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 講 puts 言, say, beside 冓, which gave it its sound; the simplified 讲 is a later abbreviation.
Appears in
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