當代中文語法點全集
當代中文語法點全集（二版）
▎說, shuō, (V), speak, vs. 談, tán, (V), talk
Function
In modern Mandarin Chinese, there are quite a few ‘speak’ verbs. Correct choice reflects mastery as well as politeness. In most cases, the type of object determines the verb, not the other way around. In rare instances, either choice is possible, with or without difference in meaning.
說話shuōhuà (to speak, to utter) |
vs. |
談話tánhuà (to chat, to have a conversation) |
他說明天天氣會很好。 Tā shuō míngtiān tiānqì huì hĕn hǎo. (said) |
vs. |
談天氣tán tiānqì (talk about, discuss) |
說外語shuō wàiyŭ (speak) |
vs. |
談外語教育tán wàiyŭ jiàoyù (talk about, discuss) |
說故事shuō gùshi (tell) |
vs. |
談理想tán lĭxiǎng (talk about, discuss) |
我們剛剛說了很多話。 Wǒmen gānggāng shuōle hĕn duō huà.(said, talked about) |
vs. |
老師想找你談話。 Lǎoshī xiǎng zhǎo nĭ tánhuà.(speak with) |
請你說一說這次旅行有趣的事。 Qĭng nĭ shuō yì shuō zhè cì lŭxíng yǒuqù de shì.(tell, talk about) |
vs. |
請你談一談你對這件事的想法。 Qĭng nĭ tán yì tán nĭ duì zhè jiàn shì de xiǎngfǎ.(tell us, explain) |
他們正在說哪裡好玩。 Tāmen zhèngzài shuō nǎlĭ hǎowán.(saying) |
vs. |
他們正在談台北的經濟、建築。 Tāmen zhèngzài tán Táibĕi de jīngjì, jiànzhú.(talking about, discussing) |
Usage
說 relates more to spontaneous instances, while 談 more to arranged and scheduled instances. 說 is almost always one-way and 談 two-way (back and forth between two or more people, so similar to talk with, discuss). In terms of frequency, 說 takes sentential objects more than 談.