说动 (shuō dòng) — to persuade successfully, to talk (someone) aro…

Definition

说动 (shuì) means to successfully talk someone into doing something — the result of persuasion, not the attempt itself. Pairs naturally with 把: 把他说动了.

verb

to persuade successfullyto talk (someone) around

说动，。
Tā zhōng yú shuō dòng le jīng lǐ, tóng yì zēng jiā yù suàn.
He finally talked the manager into agreeing to increase the budget.
说动。
Wǒ fèi le bù shǎo kǒu shé cái bǎ tā shuō dòng.
I spent a lot of effort before I managed to talk him around.
说动。
Shuí yě méi néng shuō dòng tā fàng qì nà ge jì huà.
No one was able to persuade her to abandon that plan.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

说 'speak' and 动 'move' build the idea of talking someone around.

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 說; 说 is its simplified writing.

言兌說

Meaning part形符xíngfú

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.

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 動; 动 is its simplified writing.

重力動

Meaning part形符xíngfú

力力lìstrength

Sound part声符shēngfú

重

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 動 uses 力 (strength) and 重 as a sound part; 重 refers to a heavy bag ready to be moved by a human. This note is about 動, not 动.