說 (shuō/shuì) — to speak, explain; (shuì) to persuade

entries → 說

TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 (est.) · 字

說 character · TOCFL 1 (est.)

說＝言＋兌

ㄕㄨㄛ · shuō/shuì

verb — to speak, explain; (shuì) to persuade

字源 FORM — what the parts do

言義speech

兌聲duì — gives the sounda person (儿), mouth (口) open, breath scattering above (八) — exhaling, eased

IFT≠duì → shuō — the 兌 series scatters wide: 脫 tuō、稅 shuì、悅 yuè

Words (言) that lay a thing open — to explain, to say. 兌 duì carries the sound, an old crossing far from today's families; its whole series scatters the same way: 脫、稅、悅. Read shuì, the words work on one listener: 遊說.

故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by

一句話（言）說開，皺著的眉鬆開了（兌）。

One sentence (言) lays it out; the knotted brow comes loose (兌).

字源記憶法

意 · Meanings

shuō

(本義)說明、解說— to explain — to lay open

→說話、說道— to speak, say常用

shuì

(引申)遊說— to persuade — words aimed at one listener

(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension

演 · Evolution

古書裡說也讀 yuè，是高興——這一支後來自己加了心，寫成悅。

In the classics 說 also reads yuè, pleased — that branch later took its own heart: 悅.