说理 (shuō lǐ) — to reason (with someone); to listen to reason

Definition

说理 means to reason something out clearly, often with someone who disagrees. It pairs naturally with 清楚 (说理清楚) and takes a direct object (这件事), unlike a plain 'discuss'.

verb
to reason (with someone)to listen to reason

Examples

  • 说理。
    Nǐ yào gēn tā hǎo hǎo shuō lǐ.
    You need to reason with him properly.
  • ，。
    Wǒ gēn tā shuō le bàn tiān lǐ, tā hái shì bù tīng.
    I reasoned with him for a long time, but he still wouldn't listen.
  • 说理。
    Zhè jiàn shì wǒ men bì xū shuō lǐ qīng chǔ.
    We must reason this matter out clearly.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

说shuōspeak
理lǐreason

说理 combines 说 'speak' with 理 'reason', giving the sense of speaking reason or reasoning things out.

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
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
里
里lǐ理lǐ
Same sound today

理 pairs 玉 (jade) with 里, which shows how to say it; the jade part points to the old sense of polishing jade.

Open 理 →

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