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说教 (shuō jiào) — (verb, often disapproving) to lecture someone, to preach at someone in a moralizing way; (noun, disapproving) sermonizing, moralizing

Definition

Means 'to lecture or preach at someone' — always with a disapproving tone, unlike 讲 (jiǎng), which is neutral 'to speak/explain'. Used when the speaker finds the moralizing annoying.

verb
(verb, often disapproving) to lecture someone, to preach at someone in a moralizing way(noun, disapproving) sermonizingmoralizing

Examples

  • 说教。
    Wǒ bù xǐ huan tā nà zhǒng shuō jiào de fāng shì.
    I don't like his way of preaching.
  • 说教，。
    Tā yí zuò xià jiù kāi shǐ shuō jiào, dà jiā dōu fán le.
    As soon as he sat down he started moralizing, and everyone got annoyed.
  • ，、。
    Tā duì wǒ yòu shuō le yì tōng jiào, shén me nǔ lì a, jiān chí a de.
    She preached at me again, going on about hard work and perseverance.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

说shuōspeak
教jiàoteach

说 means to speak and 教 means to teach, so it suggests lecturing or moralizing.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
子子zǐchild
攵Written in full as攴pūteaching cane; stick that represents authority
Sound part声符shēngfú
爻
爻yáo教jiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

教 uses 爻 for its sound and puts 子 (child) with 攵 (攴), a teaching cane, to show teaching a child.

Open 教 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

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