说白 (shuō bái) — spoken parts in Chinese opera, recitative

Definition

说白 refers to the spoken (non-sung) lines in Chinese opera — the recitative that sits between sung arias. Pronounced shuìbái, not shuōbái.

noun

spoken parts in Chinese operarecitative

说白。
Jīng jù zhōng de shuō bái hěn yǒu jié zòu gǎn.
The spoken parts in Beijing opera have a strong rhythm.
说白。
Zhè wèi yǎn yuán de shuō bái shuō dé fēi cháng qīng chǔ.
This actor delivers the spoken parts very clearly.
说白。
Xué xí shuō bái xū yào zhǎng wò hǎo yǔ diào hé tíng dùn.
Learning the spoken parts requires good control of intonation and pauses.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

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

说 and 白 both point to spoken delivery, so together they name the spoken parts in opera.

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.

言兌說

Meaning part形符xíngfú

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.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

白 is thought to picture either an acorn or a human head.