Writing Balance Rule: The left speech radical (讠) takes up roughly one-third of the width, leaving the right component (井) wider and balanced with horizontal and vertical prominence.
Simplification Logic: The traditional left component 言 (speech) was simplified into the standard 2-stroke simplified radical 讠.
1. Meaning
To speak or explain
To negotiate or discussTo emphasize or be particular aboutA speech or lecture
Verb / NounNeutral#communication#speech#education
Sample Usage
请你给我讲一讲这个故事。
Qǐng nǐ gěi wǒ jiǎng yī jiǎng zhège gùshi.
Please tell me a bit about this story.
老师在前面讲课。
Lǎoshī zài qiánmiàn jiǎng kè.
The teacher is lecturing at the front.
2. Sound
/[t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
讲
jiǎngjiang3
|
++
ˇ(214)
=jiǎng
Initial Consonant
j
Type: Unaspirated Alveolo-Palatal
Sounds like: soft 'j' sound as in 'jeep'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: No air puff. Lips spread wide like smiling.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Front of the tongue touches the back of the lower teeth while the blade rises toward the hard palate.
Final Rhyme
iang
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: rhymes with 'young' with an 'ee' glide in front
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'yahng'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T3 (214)
2 → 1 → 4 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips low in pitch and rises back up, resembling an incredulous English question like 'Really?'
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 3 syllable, jiǎng changes to a Tone 2 (35) rising pitch.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the low dipping Tone 3 with Tone 2 if spoken too quickly in conversational speech.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: dip down slightly from your natural speaking pitch, then sweep upward enthusiastically.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 10 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left speech radical (讠) takes up roughly one-third of the width, leaving the right component (井) wider and balanced with horizontal and vertical prominence.
Simplification Logic: The traditional left component 言 (speech) was simplified into the standard 2-stroke simplified radical 讠.
A person uses their SPEECH (讠) to share knowledge or water from a deep WELL (井) of wisdom with others.
讠 speech / words
井 water well / phonetic clue
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
5· Phonetic Root: 井 (jǐng)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Combined from the speech signifier (讠) and a phonetic component (井) that provided the ancient sound approximation.
Semantic Evolution: Originally referred to arguing or discussing matters; gradually broadened to mean speaking, explaining, lecturing, and telling stories.
The right component 井 originally depicted a wooden frame over a water well.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
giảng
The Sino-Vietnamese reading 'giảng' corresponds closely to the Mandarin Tone 3 dipping contour.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: コウ
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
강
Sound Shift Bridge: Mandarin 'jiǎng' corresponds to Sino-Vietnamese 'giảng' and Japanese On'yomi 'kō'.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
You stand by the town WATER WELL (井) using your SPEECH (讠) to LECTURE (讲) the villagers about water conservation.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
进
jìnto enterUses the movement radical (辶) instead of speech.
井
jǐngwater wellThe root character without the speech radical.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
想(xiǎng)
Has the heart radical (心) on the bottom instead of speech on the left; means to think or miss.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
老师在上面[___]课，我们在下面认真听。
Clue: jiǎng
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing the tone with Tone 4 (jiàng) or forgetting the correct placement of the tone mark over the 'a' in pinyin.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does 讲 mean and how is it pronounced in Pinyin?
Production: How do you write the character for 'to speak / explain' with 10 strokes?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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讲jiǎngto speak, explain, or lecture
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