Meaning of 据说
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- it is said that; reportedly
How to use 据说
据说 usually starts a sentence to pass on information you did not confirm yourself, often from news, rumors, or other people. Example: 据说明天会下雨。(Jùshuō míngtiān huì xià yǔ.) It is said that it will rain tomorrow.
据 (jù) means "according to" or "based on," and 说 (shuō) means "to say." Put them together: "based on what people say," which is exactly "it is said that."
Common mistake: Learners often use 据说 as if it means "I heard" with a subject, like 我据说. That is wrong. Say 我听说 (wǒ tīngshuō) for "I heard," and use 据说 alone with no subject in front.
据说 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
据 jù · according to · 11 strokes
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说 shuō · to speak · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 据说.
| 说话 | shuōhuà | to speak; to say |
| 听说 | tīngshuō | to hear (sth said); one hears (that) |
| 说明 | shuōmíng | to explain; to illustrate |
| 小说 | xiǎoshuō | novel; fiction |
| 比如说 | bǐrú shuō | for example |
| 证据 | zhèngjù | evidence; proof |
| 传说 | chuánshuō | legend; folk tale; to repeat from mouth to mouth; they say that... |
| 根据 | gēnjù | according to; based on |
| 说服 | shuōfú | to persuade; to convince |
| 说不定 | shuōbudìng | can't say for sure; maybe |
| 数据 | shùjù | data |
| 一般来说 | yībānláishuō | generally speaking |
Questions about 据说
What does 据说 mean?
据说 (jùshuō) means "it is said that; reportedly" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 据说?
据说 is made of 2 characters: 据 (11 strokes), 说 (9 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 据说 an HSK word?
Yes. 据说 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 据说 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 据说 is written 據說.
What is the difference between 据说 and 听说?
听说 (tīngshuō) can take a subject, as in 我听说 "I heard," and feels more casual. 据说 never takes a subject and sounds a bit more neutral or formal, like "reportedly."
Can I say who said it with 据说?
Not inside 据说 itself. To name the source, use 据 + source + 说, for example 据他说 (jù tā shuō) "according to him."