Chinese Conversation · Level 44
90 words
Chinese word
复述
Pronunciation
Pinyinfù shù
Meaning
- verbretell
Example
请你用自己的话复述这个故事。qǐng nǐ yòng zì jǐ de huà fù shù zhè ge gù shì
Please retell this story in your own words.
More examples
请把会议的要点复述给大家听。qǐng bǎ huì yì de yào diǎn fù shù gěi dà jiā tīng
Please retell the key points of the meeting for everyone to hear.
Core concept
The same story travels a second time through a speaker's own wording, with the original message as its fixed guide.
Common phrases
用自己的话复述yòng zì jǐ de huà fù shù
retell in one's own words
复述故事fù shù gù shì
retell a story
复述一遍fù shù yí biàn
repeat once
Similar words
重述chóng shù: Restates the same content in different wording without changing its meaning.
转述zhuǎn shù: Passes on a person's words or views to someone else.
概述gài shù: Gives a brief overview of the main points of a whole topic or text.
总结zǒng jié: Briefly sums up the important points of a speech, discussion, or text.
Definition in Chinese
用自己的话把别人说过或写过的内容再说一遍，通常着重保留原意而不加入新信息。yòng zì jǐ de huà bǎ bié rén shuō guò huò xiě guò de nèi róng zài shuō yí biàn tōng cháng zhuó zhòng bǎo liú yuán yì ér bù jiā rù xīn xìn xī
Word origin
复 (fù, "again") + 述 (shù, "state") literally means stating again, giving the word its modern sense of expressing earlier content in fresh wording.
Usage tips
- For English-speaking learners, this verb is useful when reporting a story or explanation from memory: accuracy concerns the original message, not copying every original sentence.
Other meanings
- repeatverb