譬如说
pìrúshuō · HSK 7
for example
🌰 譬如说 = liken (譬) + such-as (如) + say (说): for example
譬 carries the sense of an analogy or comparison, 如 means as/like, and 说 means to say. Together they introduce an illustration, the way 'for example' or 'such as' opens one in English.
如 — woman radical 女 + mouth 口
Originally a phono-semantic compound where 女 (woman) suggested compliance and 口 (mouth) indicated speaking or following orders. The early sense was 'to follow' or 'to comply with what is said,' which extended to 'to be like' or 'as if.' Modern uses like 'if' and 'such as' grew from this comparative meaning.
说 — speech radical 讠(言) + 兑
说 combines the speech radical 讠(言, 'words') with 兑, which acts as the phonetic component. The character originally meant 'to explain' or 'to speak,' and broadened to mean 'say' or 'talk.' The same graph is also read 'yuè' meaning 'pleased,' a sense later written 悦.