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说是 (shuō shì) — be said to, be supposed to; it is said that, they say

Definition

说是 (shuō shì) introduces hearsay — 'it is said that / they say' — used to attribute a claim without naming a source. Don't confuse with 说 ('to speak') or 是 ('to be').

verb
be said tobe supposed toit is said thatthey say

Examples

  • 说是。
    shuō shì Jīn nián dōng tiān huì hěn lěng.
    It is said that this winter will be very cold.
  • ，说是。
    Tā tuī jiàn de nà zhǒng yào, shuō shì xiào guǒ bú cuò.
    The medicine he recommended is said to be quite effective.
  • 说是。
    shuō shì Xiàn zài nián qīng rén dōu bù zěn me kàn diàn shì le.
    They say young people nowadays don't watch TV much.

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 是 →
Appears in
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