Chinese word

传说

Pronunciation

Pinyinchuán shuō

Meaning

  • nounlegend

Example

这只是个传说，不要当真。zhè zhǐ shì gè chuán shuō bú yào dàng zhēn

This is just a legend, so don't take it seriously.

Illustration for 传说 (legend)

More examples

据传说，那条河曾经改变过村庄的命运。jù chuán shuō nà tiáo hé céng jīng gǎi biàn guò cūn zhuāng de mìng yùn

According to legend, that river once changed the fate of the village.

Core concept

A story or claim carried through a community by word of mouth, with fact and imaginative detail mixed together.

Common phrases

  • 据传说jù chuán shuō

    according to legend

  • 古老的传说gú lǎo de chuán shuō

    ancient legend

  • 流传下来的传说liú chuán xià lái de chuán shuō

    legend passed down

Similar words

故事gù shì: A narrative about people or events that presents a series of actions or happenings.
传闻chuán wén: Hearsay that circulates among people without confirmed proof.

Definition in Chinese

以口头相传的故事或说法为主，常带有传奇或夸张成分，用来解释自然现象、人物或历史事件。yǐ kǒu tóu xiāng chuán de gù shì huò shuō fǎ wéi zhǔ cháng dài yǒu chuán qí huò kuā zhāng chéng fèn yòng lái jiě shì zì rán xiàn xiàng rén wù huò lì shǐ shì jiàn

Word origin

传说 (chuánshuō, "passed-on account") is built from 传 (chuán, "pass on") and 说 (shuō, "say"), so its form centers on information preserved through spoken retelling.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, the word can frame an unconfirmed claim as something people tell, so it does not by itself show that the speaker accepts the claim as true.

Other meanings

  • hearsaynoun
  • rumornoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word