诌 (zhōu): to make up (a story)

Meanings

别瞎诌了，说实话。

Bié xiā zhōu le, shuō shíhuà.

Don't just make up nonsense; tell the truth.

他随口诌了一首诗逗大家开心。

Tā suíkǒu zhōu le yì shǒu shī dòu dàjiā kāixīn.

He casually made up a poem to amuse everyone.

usage

Colloquial, often as 胡诌 ('to talk rubbish') or 瞎诌 ('to make things up'). It implies improvising fiction off the top of one's head.

radical

讠 yán

speech (radical form)

The speech radical, the side form of 言 (words). Fabricating and talking nonsense are speech acts, the same family as 谎 (lie).

phonetic

刍 chú

hay; fodder; phonetic

Fodder, supplying the sound; chú shifts to zhōu. It is phonetic here; the same element gives 雏 (chick) and 趋.

诌 zhōu