话
huà
In Chinese, the English phrase "words" is translated as 话 (huà).
话 refers to spoken language or the things that a person says.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can create the common verb meaning "to speak" or "to talk" by adding the verb 说 (shuō, to say) to 话, resulting in 说话. The term 说话 is used to describe the act of speaking or the ability to talk, rather than just the noun 'words'. If you want to refer specifically to the substance or content of what someone said, you can use the phrase 说话的内容.
How do you pronounce it?
huà
Did you know?
- There is a distinct difference between 话 (spoken words) and 字 (characters), meaning you cannot use 话 to refer to the written letters on a page.
- The concept of 'sweet words' is expressed as 甜言蜜语 (tiányán mìyǔ), where 'honeyed words' refers to flattery or even deceptive persuasion.
- The phrase 话里有话 describes a situation where there is a hidden meaning beneath the literal 'words', similar to 'reading between the lines'.
Examples in context
- 别怀疑他的话。Don't doubt his words.This sentence is useful for illustrating how to use 话 when talking about doubting someone's words.Tatoeba #10260752 by GlossaMatik, translation #2024828 by Wassim
- 她不擅长说话。She is not very good with words.This sentence is useful for showing how 话 is used when describing someone's ability to talk.Tatoeba #12422351 by jkyochen, translation #10208933 by dnjst
- 她的话给了我希望。Her words gave me hope.This sentence is useful for showing how 话 can describe the impact of someone's words.Tatoeba #2143966 by ydcok, translation #309251 by Auride
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
浩然 is asking 雨婷 about a message she received.
- 浩然 Haoran你听了她的话吗？Nǐ tīngle tā de huà ma?Did you listen to her words?
- 雨婷 Yuting听了，她说得很有道理。Tīngle, tā shuō de hěn yǒu dàolǐ.I did, what she said makes a lot of sense.
- 浩然 Haoran那我们就听她的吧。Nà wǒmen jiù tīng tā de ba.Then let's listen to her.
- 雨婷 Yuting好，我同意。Hǎo, wǒ tóngyì.Okay, I agree.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
