讲 jiǎng talk
talk; to tell; to explain
How to remember 讲: 讠 words + 井 a well = talk. The words of two kids bounce back from a well in Grandma's courtyard, so they lean over it all afternoon to talk.
Component breakdown
讲 = 讠 words + 井 a well
- 讠 words
- 井 a well
The words of two kids bounce back from a well in Grandma's courtyard, so they lean over it all afternoon to talk.
How it is used
- To speak/tell/explain, spoken register - 讲故事 (jiǎng gùshi) to tell a story, 老师讲课 (lǎoshī jiǎngkè) the teacher lectures.
- 讲 leans toward explaining or narrating to an audience; 说 (shuō) is the plainer, broader 'to say/speak.'
- 讲究 (jiǎngjiu) means to be particular about / fastidious: 他很讲究穿着 (tā hěn jiǎngjiu chuānzhuó) he's fussy about how he dresses.
- 讲理 (jiǎnglǐ) is 'to be reasonable'; 不讲理 describes someone who won't listen to reason.
Words with 讲
Example sentences
- 他会讲中文，而且讲得很好。 Tā huì jiǎng zhōngwén, érqiě jiǎng de hěn hǎo.Not only can he speak Chinese, but he speaks it very well.
- 他在讲台上发表演讲。 Tā zài jiǎngtái shàng fābiǎo yǎnjiǎng.He's standing at the dais making a speech.
- 从现在起我讲英语。 Cóng xiànzài qǐ wǒ jiǎng Yīngyǔ.From now on I will speak English.
- 他的讲解很详细。 Tā de jiǎngjiě hěn xiángxì.He gave a detailed explanation.