演讲
yǎnjiǎng · HSK 4
speech
🎤 演讲 = perform (演) + speak (讲) — a performed talk
演 means perform or act; 讲 means to speak or explain. Together they form a spoken performance — a lecture or formal speech delivered to an audience.
演 — water 氵 + 寅 (yín, phonetic)
演 is a semantic-phonetic compound: the water radical 氵 gives the meaning, originally referring to water flowing far and spreading out, while 寅 supplies the sound. From 'water extending' it broadened to 'develop, elaborate, perform,' as in unfolding a story or acting out a play.
讲 — speech radical 讠 + 井 (well)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 讠 (simplified form of 言, 'speech') gives the meaning, indicating something spoken or explained. The right side 冓 (simplified to 井-like form) originally suggested interlocking structure and provided the sound. Together it means to speak, explain, or tell.