# 讲 / 说



## dojibear

大家好

Is there a difference between 讲 and 说? Both translate as "speak". A friend of mine wrote this sentence: 

我讲粤语，不过我也会说普通话。

I wonder if he used 2 different verbs to add meaning. 

高理


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## SimonTsai

*講*話  *說*話 
Kids, don't *talk*! Others are still sleeping.​*講*法  *說*法 
Here are 10 commonest *way*s that you can say 'nice-looking' in Mandarin.​演*講*  演*說* 
'_We Shall Fight on the Beaches_' is the title given to a *speech* that Winston Churchill delivered to the House of Commons.​*講*詞  *說*詞 
Keep your *point of view* consistent. Contradictions on essays are likely to bewilder readers.​小*講*  小*說* 
Which of the following *novel*s do you enjoy the most?​*講*稿  *說*稿 
Did you *draft* your speech?​*講*臺  *說*臺 
Who is on the *rostrum*?​*講*習  *說*習 
A *lecture* upon hazard identification and risk assessment for the insurance industry will be given by external experts.​


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## hx1997

dojibear said:


> 我讲粤语，不过我也会说普通话



In that sentence, they are interchangeable.


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## philchinamusical

In my opinion, in Mandarin, "讲" is more about "speaking", the activity itself when "说" is more about "explaining/analysing/discussing", the purpose of speaking. That's why we will have the list of @SimonTsai posted.


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## brofeelgood

For the expression '*to speak language X*', you'll find Southerners (e.g. Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien) are more likely to say 「讲」than 「说」, because that's the only way of saying it in their dialects.


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## HolyUnicorn

Here is my take. "讲" is more formal, similar to "speak". For example,"上台演讲".  "说" is more informal.


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## SimonTsai

Someone learned and erudite privately messaged me:


> 講詞：〈民國四十三年除夕晚會講詞摘要〉// 小講：《文物小講》// 說稿：《唐詩說稿》


And he is right. But I would like to add

that 講詞 ≠ 說詞, and
that 小講 ≠ 小說.


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## T.D

when 讲 and 说 are paired with a language 
e.g. 讲英语；说英语, 
they are completely the same. 

And a side note, 讲, when used as a verb, has another meaning of 'focusing' or 'highlighting'. 
e.g.  讲文明


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## dojibear

T.D said:


> And a side note, 讲, when used as a verb, has another meaning of 'focusing' or 'highlighting'.
> e.g. 讲文明



What does 讲文明 mean? Google translate (which I don't trust very much) says it means "speak civilly". I don't see how "focusing" or "highlighting" fits that phrase.


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## T.D

dojibear said:


> What does 讲文明 mean? Google translate (which I don't trust very much) says it means "speak civilly". I don't see how "focusing" or "highlighting" fits that phrase.



Well, 文明 here is not culture, it's manner.
Perhaps a simpler example, '讲卫生‘ means 'to pay attention to your hygiene'.
So 讲文明 is basically 'to pay attention to your manner'

讲 here contains the meaning of 'we should focus on this thing and try to realize it'


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## SimonTsai

'講文明' sounds foreign to me. Here we tend to say '講道理'.
​[example 1] 你這個人怎麼這麼不*講理*？​[example 2] 你少跟我*講*大*道理*！像你這種人，含著金湯匙出世，根本就不懂我們這些社會底層的人一路的掙扎、艱辛、不幸！​


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## hx1997

Well, but 讲文明 does not equate to 讲道理. I would say it's more like 讲礼貌. 文明 means "civility" (i.e. politeness) in this phrase, so 讲文明 means "to respect/pay attention to civility" or "to behave politely".


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## Skatinginbc

dojibear said:


> 我讲粤语，不过我也会说普通话。
> I wonder if he used 2 different verbs to add meaning.


Yes.
我(平常/習慣)講(speak)粵語，不過(= 即使如此)我也會(=能)說(talk, 以...交談)普通話. I (usually) speak Cantonese, but I'm also able to converse in Mandarin. ≠ 我會講(=說)粵語，也會說(=講)普通話. I can speak Cantonese, and Mandarin as well.


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## thetazuo

Hi. Doji. I think we can translate literally “讲文明” into “to be civilized, polite”, where “讲” means “to follow/observe/conform to rules or practices that are essential to a civilized society”. 也就是说，遵纪守法，遵守道德规范，使用文明用语等。
Does it make sense?


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## dojibear

Yes, it makes sense. Both my dictionaries say "pay attention to; be particular about" is one meaning of 讲.

Phrases (词组 / 惯用语) have meaning. One word (一个字) is just a building block to make phrases.


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## Josie0000

someone's 讲话 means someone's speech. there is no term like someone's 说话.


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## hx1997

Josie0000 said:


> there is no term like someone's 说话.



That may be true in Mandarin--and I know you're limiting the discussion to Mandarin only, but in Cantonese (and possibly other 方言) there _is_ such a thing as someone's 说话, as seen (or heard) in 张学友's 《遥远的她》 (YouTube) and 谭咏麟's 《一生中最爱》 (YouTube):


> 遥远的她 可知我心中的*说话*
> 热情并无变 哪管它沧桑变化





> 宁愿一生都不说话
> 都不想*讲假说话*欺骗你


In Mandarin those lines would be 可知我心中的*话* and 都不想*讲假话*欺骗你 (Cantonese noun 说话 = Mandarin noun 话 ≠ Mandarin noun 讲话).


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## CK2019

Josie0000 said:


> someone's 讲话 means someone's speech. there is no term like someone's 说话.


“看图说话” the standard writing practice in lower grades in primary school in mainland China. 
说话要有理有据，不能乱说。 means when you talk or give your opinion, what you say shall be justified, or based on reason, evidence, statistics.


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## Josie0000

CK2019 said:


> “看图说话” the standard writing practice in lower grades in primary school in mainland China.
> 说话要有理有据，不能乱说。 means when you talk or give your opinion, what you say shall be justified, or based on reason, evidence, statistics.


you might need to read my post again. i was saying the term like 'a person/someone's 说话'.


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## dojibear

CK2019 said:


> “看图说话” the standard writing practice in lower grades in primary school in mainland China.


看图说话 = "look at drawing say word"? Seems like reading (characters) practice, not writing. 不知道明白。


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## Ghabi

hx1997 said:


> (Cantonese noun 说话 = Mandarin noun 话 ≠ Mandarin noun 讲话)


Exactly.  For example:
Cantonese: 呢種說話都講得出口 = Mandarin: 这种话也说得出口


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