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诉说 (sù shuō) — to recount, to tell (of one's feelings, experiences, or difficult situations); (figurative) (of an object or place) to bear witness to, to reflect (a history or experience)

Definition

诉说 focuses on narrating feelings or hardships — more personal and emotional than 叙述, which is a neutral recounting of events or a story.

verb
to recountto tell (of one's feelings, experiences, or difficult situations)(figurative) (of an object or place) to bear witness toto reflect (a history or experience)

Examples

  • 诉说。
    Tā xiàng wǒ sù shuō le tā duō nián de tòng kǔ jīng lì.
    He recounted his many years of painful experiences to me.
  • 诉说。
    Zhè zuò lǎo chéng de jiē dào sù shuō zhe guò qù de fán huá yǔ cāng sāng.
    The streets of this old city bear witness to the past prosperity and vicissitudes.
  • 诉说。
    Tā měi cì huí lái dōu xiàng wǒ sù shuō tā zài guó wài de jiàn wén.
    Every time she comes back, she tells me about her observations abroad.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

诉sùtell
说shuōsay

诉 means tell and 说 means say, so the two parts emphasize recounting something.

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 訴; 诉 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánword, speak
Sound part声符shēngfú
斥
斥chì訴sù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 訴 pairs 言 (word, speak) with 斥, which gives the sound and points to accusing by speech. The simplified 诉 is a later shorthand.

Open 诉 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Communication & Speech

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