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say

★★★★★

🇺🇸 /sˈeɪ/ 🇬🇧 /seɪ/

adv 编号: S00458 牛津3000 BNC #32 COCA #19

say 的核心是“说出或表达”；它也可引申为表示文字内容、传闻、发言权，以及提出假设或引出例子。

💡 记忆钩子

把 say 想成“把话放出来”：人可以说出词句、转述消息或表达意见，文字也可以“说”出内容；这份被放出来的声音带来发言权（have a say），而 say 还可以轻轻一放，表示“假设一下、比如说”。

📝 学习建议

先掌握“说出、告诉、表达意见”以及常见结构，再学习“文字写着”和“比如说”的用法。
不要把 say 一律当成“告诉”；表示对某人说时通常用 say something to someone，而不能直接说 say someone something。

📖 中文释义

adv

core 比如说；假定

📖 说话人把某个可能的例子轻轻“放出来”，表示“比如说”或“假定是这样”。

💡 常用模式是“主句，say，名词或短语”，也可置于例子前表示“比如”。它通常引出一个假设或示例，不表示说话人已经确认该事实。中文学习者容易把它误译成表示言语动作的“说”，但这里更接近“比如说”。

not-comparable

We could meet somewhere nearby, say, the café across the street.

我们可以在附近找个地方见面，比如说街对面的咖啡馆。

intj

common 喂；对了

📖 先用 say 把对方的注意力拉过来，再开始提问或提出建议。

💡 常见模式是“Say, + 问句”或“Say, + 建议”。它是口语化的招呼语，不用于正式书面场合。中文里直接翻成“说”通常不自然，应根据语气译成“喂”“对了”等。

US colloquial

Say, do you know a good place to eat around here?

对了，你知道这附近有什么好吃的地方吗？

name

rare 姓氏

📖 Say 也可作为英语姓氏使用，此时不是普通动词或名词。

noun

core 发言权；决定权

📖 被放出来的话如果能影响结果，就表示一个人有发言权或参与决定的分量。

💡 常用模式是“have a say in + 事情”或“give someone a say in + 事情”。这里的 say 通常是可数名词，前面常有 a。不要只译成“说话”，因为重点是能否影响决定。

countable

Employees should have a say in how the new schedule is created.

员工应该对新时间表的制定有发言权。

says plural

noun

rare 一种布料

📖 这里的 say 是旧式布料名称，指一种质地类似粗呢的细布。

countable uncountable

says plural

noun

rare 试样；检验

📖 表示拿一小部分来试验或检验，和“尝一尝、试试看”的核心概念相连。
rare 品质；成色

📖 表示经过检验后显出的品质或成色，是“试过之后看结果”的旧式引申。
rare 尝试

📖 表示一次试做或尝试，属于 assay 相关的古旧词义。

says plural

noun

rare 牛奶滤器

📖 在苏格兰方言中，say 指用来过滤牛奶的器具。

Scotland

says plural

verb

core 说出；念出

📖 把词语或一段话清楚地从口中说出来，重点是实际发出这些话。

💡 常用模式是“say + 名字、单词或句子”，也可说“say something to someone”。say 后面直接接听话人通常不对，应使用 tell 或加 to。表示“说慢一点”时，say 后接要说的内容或相关副词。

transitive

Please say your name slowly and clearly.

请慢慢清楚地说出你的名字。
common 背诵；复述

📖 把已经记住的词句或固定内容完整说出来，例如背诵誓词或台词。

💡 常用模式是“say + 诗句、誓词、台词等内容”。这里强调把既定文本说出来，不一定表示临时创造一句话。若强调从书上读出来，read 往往更合适。

transitive

The children said the poem together.

孩子们一起背诵了那首诗。
core 告诉；转述

📖 把一个信息或想法放出来，让别人知道；既可以口头说，也可以在文字中转述。

💡 常用模式是“say that + 从句”“say + 直接引语”或“say something to someone”。不能直接用“say + 人 + 内容”表达“告诉某人”，这种结构通常要改用 tell。转述过去的话时，时态是否后移要根据语境决定。

transitive

Mina said that she would call after work.

米娜说她下班后会打电话。
core 写着；显示

📖 文字、标志或标签也能像人在说话一样，把信息明确写出来或显示出来。

💡 常用模式是“标志或文字 + say + 内容”，主语通常是 sign、label、notice 等。这里不是说标志真的发声，而是指其文字所表达的内容。不要机械翻成“标志说”，中文通常译为“写着”或“显示”。

transitive

The sign says the museum closes at six.

牌子上写着博物馆六点关门。
common 据说；人们常说

📖 不指明具体说话者，只表示一种传闻、普遍看法或广为人知的话。

💡 常见模式是“they say + 从句”或被动结构“it is said that + 从句”。they 在这里往往不是特定的一群人，而是泛指人们。涉及未经证实的信息时，它通常带有“据说”的距离感。

impersonal transitive

They say this is the best bakery in town.

据说这是城里最好的面包店。
common 假设；比如说

📖 把 say 放在句首或例子前，表示先假设一个情况，或临时举一个例子。

💡 常用模式是“Say + 假设句”或“主句，say，例子”。这是非正式用法，语气像是在和听者一起设想。不要和句首用来吸引注意的感叹词用法混淆，要看后面是在提问还是在提出假设。

imperative informal transitive

Say you lose your phone—what would you do first?

假设你的手机丢了，你第一步会怎么做？
common 发言；回答；表达意见

📖 不只是发出声音，还可以表示一个人开口回应、发表看法或作出回答。

💡 常见模式是“say something”“say no/yes”以及“have something to say”。作不及物用法时，后面通常不直接接听话人；若要说明对谁说，使用 to。表示正式演讲或持续交谈时，speak 或 talk 可能更自然。

intransitive

I wanted to say something, but the meeting ended.

我想说点什么，但会议结束了。
common 打赌；断言

📖 把自己的钱或名声押在某个结果上，因此也可随意表示“我敢说、我认定会这样”。

💡 常见模式是“someone’s money says + 从句”或“my word says + 从句”，也可在口语中用“say + 结果”表示有把握的判断。这个用法较非正式，常带夸张或玩笑语气。不要把它当成普通的“说”，因为重点是对结果作出押注或强烈判断。

especially informal transitive

I’ll bet my last dollar she says yes.

我敢用最后一块钱打赌，她会答应。

says present,singular,third-person saying participle,present said participle,past said past say first-person,present,singular said first-person,past,singular say present,second-person,singular sayest archaic,present,second-person,singular said past,second-person,singular saidst archaic,past,second-person,singular sayeth archaic,present,singular,third-person saith archaic,present,singular,third-person said past,singular,third-person say plural,present said past,plural say present,subjunctive said past,subjunctive say imperative,present - imperative,past

verb

rare 尝试；检验

📖 表示试做或检验某物，是“拿来试一试”的古旧动词义。

says present,singular,third-person saying participle,present sayed participle,past sayed past

📘 英文释义 (WordNet) 共 12 组

give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority; ;

同义词集: order tell enjoin say

I said to him to go home

She ordered him to do the shopping

The mother told the child to get dressed

上位: request 下位: call, command, direct, instruct, prescribe, require, send for, warn

express a supposition;

同义词集: suppose say

Let us say that he did not tell the truth

Let's say you had a lot of money--what would you do?

上位: speculate

indicate

同义词集: say

The clock says noon

上位: read, record, register, show

communicate or express nonverbally;

同义词集: say

What does this painting say?

Did his face say anything about how he felt?

上位: convey

recite or repeat a fixed text;

同义词集: say

Say grace

She said her `Hail Mary'

上位: recite

speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way; ;

同义词集: pronounce articulate enounce sound out enunciate say

She pronounces French words in a funny way

I cannot say `zip wire'

Can the child sound out this complicated word?

下位: accent, accentuate, click, explode, flap, labialise, labialize, lisp, raise, roll, round, sound, stress, vocalise, vocalize, voice

utter aloud

同义词集: say

She said `Hello' to everyone in the office

上位: express, give tongue to, utter, verbalise, verbalize

express in words; ; ;

同义词集: state say tell

He said that he wanted to marry her

tell me what is bothering you

state your opinion

state your name

上位: express, give tongue to, utter, verbalise, verbalize 下位: add, announce, answer, append, articulate, declare, enunciate, explain, give, introduce, lay out, mention, note, observe, precede, preface, premise, present, remark, reply, represent, respond, sum, sum up, summarise, summarize, supply, vocalise, vocalize

state as one's opinion or judgement; declare

同义词集: say

I say let's forget this whole business

report or maintain; ;

同义词集: allege aver say

He alleged that he was the victim of a crime

He said it was too late to intervene in the war

The registrar says that I owe the school money

上位: assert, asseverate, maintain 下位: plead

have or contain a certain wording or form;

同义词集: read say

The passage reads as follows

What does the law say?

上位: feature, have

the chance to speak

同义词集: say

let him have his say

上位: chance, opportunity

🌳 词源

主要动词来自古英语，核心词源义为“说、谈”；副词和感叹词由该动词发展而来。部分名词义来自不同词源，另有一个古旧动词义来自 assay 的省略形式。

From Middle English saien, sain, san, secgan, segen, seien, sein, seiȝen, sugen, sægen, ziggen, from Old English seċġan, secgean, secggan, secggean, seggan, sæċġan (“to say, speak”), from Proto-West Germanic *saggjan, from Proto-Germanic *sagjaną (“to say”), from Proto-Indo-European *sokʷ-h₁-yé-, a suffixed o-grade form of *sekʷ- (“to say”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian sai, seede, sii, sjide, sooi, säie (“to say”), West Frisian sizze (“to say”), Alemannic German ŝchége, ŝchegi, séege, säge, sägä (“to say”), Bavarian sogn, soon, sågn (“to say”), Dutch zeggen (“to say”), German sagen (“to say”), Low German seggen (“to say, tell”), Luxembourgish soen (“to say”), Vilamovian ziöen, zuön, zuø̄n (“to say”), Yiddish זאָגן (zogn, “to say”), Danish sige (“to say”), Elfdalian saja (“to say”), Faroese siga (“to say”), Icelandic segja (“to say”), Jamtish segi (“to say”), Norwegian Bokmål si (“to say”), Norwegian Nynorsk segja, seia, seie (“to say, tell”), Scanian siğa (“to say”), Swedish säga (“to say”); also Cornish hwedhel (“narrative, story, tale”), Irish scéal (“story, tale”), Manx skeeal (“story; news; narrative”), Scottish Gaelic sgeul (“story, tale; information, news”), Welsh chwedl (“story, tale”), hebu (“to say”), Latin inquam (“to say”), Ancient Greek ἐνέπω (enépō), ἐννέπω (ennépō, “tell or tell about; speak”), Latvian sacīt (“to say, tell”), Lithuanian sakyti (“to say, tell”), Bulgarian соча (soča, “to indicate; to point”), Czech sočit (“to blame, hate”), Old Polish soczyć (“to accuse, slander”), Russian сочи́ть (sočítʹ, “to emit (a liquid)”), Ukrainian сочи́ти (sočýty, “to emit (a liquid), exude, ooze; to drain, sap”). The adverb and interjection are from the verb.

🔄 变式

- imperat said 1st_sg saidst archaic saith archaic sayed past sayest archaic sayeth archaic saying present says plural

🏷 单词标签 & 词根