Meaning of 说服
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to persuade
- to convince
- to talk sb over
- Taiwan pr. [shui4 fu2]
How to use 说服
说服 is a transitive verb that usually takes a person as its object, and it often appears with 被 or with a result like 说服了. Example: 我终于说服了妈妈让我去旅行。(Wǒ zhōngyú shuōfú le māma ràng wǒ qù lǚxíng.) I finally persuaded my mom to let me travel.
说服 is built from 说 (shuō, to speak) and 服 (fú, to submit or yield, as in 服从). You speak until the other person yields to your view.
Common mistake: Learners often read 服 here with the neutral tone as in 衣服 (yīfu) or 舒服 (shūfu), but in 说服 it keeps its full second tone: shuōfú. Also note that 说 here is shuō in mainland Mandarin, while Taiwan uses shuì.
说服 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.
说 shuō · to speak · 9 strokes
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服 fú · clothes · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 说服.
| 说话 | shuōhuà | to speak; to say |
| 衣服 | yīfu | clothes |
| 听说 | tīngshuō | to hear (sth said); one hears (that) |
| 舒服 | shūfu | comfortable; feeling well |
| 服务 | fúwù | to serve; service |
| 说明 | shuōmíng | to explain; to illustrate |
| 小说 | xiǎoshuō | novel; fiction |
| 比如说 | bǐrú shuō | for example |
| 传说 | chuánshuō | legend; folk tale; to repeat from mouth to mouth; they say that... |
| 据说 | jùshuō | it is said that; reportedly |
| 服装 | fúzhuāng | dress; clothing |
| 克服 | kèfú | (try to) overcome (hardships etc); to conquer |
Questions about 说服
What does 说服 mean?
说服 (shuōfú) means "to persuade; to convince" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 说服?
说服 is made of 2 characters: 说 (9 strokes), 服 (8 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 说服 an HSK word?
Yes. 说服 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 说服 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 说服 is written 說服.
What is the difference between 说服 and 劝 (quàn)?
劝 means to urge or advise someone, and it does not say whether they agreed. 说服 means you actually succeeded in changing their mind.
How do I say 'convincing' or 'persuasive' with 说服?
Use 说服力 (shuōfúlì), persuasive power. For example, 他的理由很有说服力 means his reasons are very convincing.