话 (huà) — (noun) speech, talk (variant of 话)
Definition
话 (huà) means 'speech' or 'words' as a thing said — typically paired with verbs like 说 or 听, not used for a single language (use 语言). Common collocation: 说话 (talk).
noun
speechtalk (variant of 话)
Measure word · 种
Examples
- 。Nǐ shuō de huà hěn yǒu dào lǐ.What you said makes a lot of sense.
- 。Tā yí jù huà yě méi shuō jiù zǒu le.He left without saying a word.
- 。Qǐng bǎ huà shuō wán.Please finish what you have to say.
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 話; 话 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠯑
𠯑𠯑話huà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
In the traditional form 話, 言 relates to words and 𠯑 gives the sound; the simplified 话 is a shorthand, so its right side is not that sound part.
Appears in
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