说头 (shuō tóu) — something to talk about; topic of discussion; excuse; pretext

Definition

Often used after 没/有 to mean 'something worth saying' or 'an excuse/justification' — 没说的 means 'nothing to discuss (positively or negatively)'. Refers to the matter of discussion itself, not the act of talking.

noun
something to talk abouttopic of discussionexcusepretext

Examples

  • 说头，。
    Zhè jiàn shì hěn yǒu shuō tóu, dà jiā kě yǐ liáo liáo.
    There's a lot to talk about regarding this matter; everyone can chat about it.
  • 说头，。
    Tā zhǎo le yí gè shuō tóu, bù lái kāi huì le.
    He found an excuse and didn't come to the meeting.
  • 说头，。
    Zhè ge diàn yǐng méi shén me shuō tóu, tài wú liáo le.
    There's not much to say about this movie; it's too boring.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

说shuōtalk
头tóu

The idea of talking combines with 头 to mean something worth talking about or an excuse.

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.

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 →

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 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu頭tóu
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

Open 头 →

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