听说

• Pinyin: tīng shuō
• Hanzi breakdown: 听 = to listen/hear; 说 = 讠(speech) + 兑 (exchange) — to say. Together: to hear it said

Meaning

To hear (that); to be told. Introduces information learned from others.

Used at the beginning of a sentence to introduce hearsay or secondhand information, similar to 'I heard that...' in English. Very common in daily conversation for sharing news or rumours. Does not imply the speaker has verified the information.

Examples

1. 听说明天不上课。 I heard there's no class tomorrow.
2. 我听说他搬到上海了。 I heard he moved to Shanghai.
3. 听说那家新开的饭店很好吃。 I heard the newly opened restaurant is really good.

Usage Guide

Context: conversation, sharing news, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 听说你要结婚了？(I heard you're getting married?)
• 我听说这本书很好看。(I heard this book is really good.)

Don't Say

• 我听说了你的脸 (Don't use 听说 for things you saw directly — it's specifically for secondhand information you were told about, not visual observations)

Origin & History

听 (tīng, to listen/hear) + 说 (shuō, to say/speak). Literally: to hear it said.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal