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说实话 (shuō shí huà) — to tell the truth, to speak honestly; frankly, to be honest (used as a sentence adverb to introduce a frank statement)

Definition

说实话 is a fixed phrase used as a sentence adverb meaning 'to be honest / frankly' — placed at the start of a clause to introduce a candid opinion. It is more idiomatic than a literal verb phrase like 说真话.

verb
to tell the truthto speak honestlyfranklyto be honest (used as a sentence adverb to introduce a frank statement)

Examples

  • 说实话。
    Nǐ bì xū shuō shí huà.
    You must tell the truth.
  • 说实话，。
    shuō shí huà, Wǒ bù xǐ huan zhè ge zhǔ yì.
    To be honest, I don't like this idea.
  • 说实话，。
    shuō shí huà, Nǐ zuò dé hěn hǎo.
    Frankly, you did a good job.

Origin

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 實; 实 is its simplified writing.

  • 宀宀miánroof
  • 周周zhōucarved jade
  • 貝貝bèishellfish; cowrie

The traditional form 實 has 宀 'roof' above 周 'carved jade' and 貝 'cowrie'; the simplified 实 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 实 →

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 話; 话 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánword
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.

Open 话 →
Appears in
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