说穿

說穿

shuōchuān

verb #33,136

Meanings

1 to lay bare (in words)
2 to expose plainly
3 to spell out (a secret, motive, or trick)

Characters

to pierce through

Examples

他一句话就把这个把戏说穿了。

Tā yī jù huà jiù bǎ zhè ge bǎxì shuōchuān le.

He exposed the trick in a single sentence.

说穿了，他只是想要钱。

Shuōchuān le, tā zhǐshì xiǎng yào qián.

Plainly put, he just wants money.

Tips

usage

The 穿 ('to pierce through') in 说穿 is the same metaphor as 看穿 ('to see through someone'). 说穿 frames the act of speaking as 'piercing the veil' over a concealed truth. The set opener 说穿了 ('to put it plainly...') is extremely common — it preludes a blunt summary that strips away polite framing.

Stroke Order

说 shuō

穿 chuān