to speak; to begin speaking
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to speak; to open one's mouth to speak
archaicPrimarily used in the context of traditional Chinese opera (xiqu) to indicate a character beginning to deliver lines or sing. It is an archaic term and not used in modern everyday speech.
Nà那
wèi位
lǎo老
shēng生
kāi开
yán言
chàng唱
dào道
：
“
Yì忆
xī昔
dāng当
nián年
……
……
”
The senior male role began to sing: 'I recall back in those years...'
Qiě且
tīng听
tā她
rú如
hé何
kāi开
yán言
。
Let's hear how she begins to speak.
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Xì戏
zhōng中
，
xiǎo小
jiě姐
kāi开
yán言
qián前
bì必
xiān先
shī施
lǐ礼
。
In the opera, the young lady must bow before she begins to speak.