言说

言說

yánshuō

verb #37,115

Meanings

1 to speak of
2 to articulate
3 (literary) discourse, utterance

Characters

Examples

其中的痛苦难以言说。

Qízhōng de tòngkǔ nányǐ yánshuō.

The pain involved is hard to put into words.

诗歌之美有时无法言说。

Shīgē zhī měi yǒushí wúfǎ yánshuō.

The beauty of poetry is sometimes beyond articulation.

Tips

register

言说 is literary, mainly seen in writing and academic discourse. It's especially common in the negative phrase 难以言说 (hard to express in words) and in philosophical/literary criticism, where 言说 functions like English 'discourse'.

Stroke Order

言 yán

说 shuō