正如……所说/所言
Reach for this in formal writing or speech when you're about to quote or paraphrase someone's view and then build on it — 'just as X said, [their idea is], and [my point follows].' 正如 means 'just as' and 所说/所言 means 'said/stated.' It's a high-register attribution frame: news commentary, essays, speeches. The structure tells your reader 'this isn't my original claim — I'm borrowing authority and now extending it.'
Structure
正如 [PERSON / SOURCE] 所说 / 所言, [QUOTE OR PARAPHRASE]
zhèngrú... suǒ shuō / suǒ yán
How to Think About It
正如 sets up the citation, and 所说/所言 closes the bracket — they must come as a pair. 所 is the classical particle that turns 说 into 'what is said,' giving the whole frame a literary, anchored feel. The actual quote or paraphrase comes AFTER the comma, often introduced by a colon if it's a direct quote. Using 正如 without 所 ('正如他说') is grammatical but loses the formality the pattern exists to deliver.
Examples
正如他所说: '机会留给有准备的人。'
Zhèngrú tā suǒ shuō: 'Jīhuì liú gěi yǒu zhǔnbèi de rén.'
Just as he said: 'Opportunity belongs to those who are prepared.'
正如专家所言, 这次危机不会很快结束。
Zhèngrú zhuānjiā suǒ yán, zhè cì wēijī bù huì hěn kuài jiéshù.
Just as the experts have said, this crisis won't end soon.
正如古人所说, 失败是成功之母。
Zhèngrú gǔrén suǒ shuō, shībài shì chénggōng zhī mǔ.
As the ancients said, failure is the mother of success.
Common Mistake
Learners drop 所 and produce 正如他说的, which is grammatical but downgrades the register to casual. In a formal context (essay, speech, news analysis) the full 正如...所说/所言 is what's expected.
正如他说: 我们要努力。 (mismatched register for formal writing)
正如他所说: '我们要努力。'
Don't Confuse With
就像...一样
就像 is a casual 'just like'; 正如...所说 is its formal cousin specifically for citing speech.
据...说
据 = 'according to,' reports secondhand info without endorsing it. 正如 endorses what was said and treats it as authoritative.
如他所言
Shorter, even more literary variant. Same meaning, drops 正 — common in essays.
Practice
正如老师_____, 复习很重要。 (said, formal)
Show answer
所说 (or 所言)
_____ 报道所言, 经济正在恢复。 (just as)
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正如
Arrange: 正如 / 所说 / 一句话 / 时间就是金钱 / 那
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正如那句话所说, 时间就是金钱。
Translate: Just as the author stated, reading changes a person.
Show answer
正如作者所言, 阅读改变一个人。
Write a formal sentence using 正如...所说 that cites someone famous.
Show answer
正如乔布斯所说: '保持饥饿, 保持愚蠢。'
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode. Press play to hear the sentence:
正如他所说的：“我们喜欢冠军，我们喜欢赢家。
Just as he said: "We like champions, we like winners."
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami Honored by Trump at the White House — MLS Cup Glory Meets PoliticsAdvanced
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 正如……所说/所言 in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this pattern shows up again and again in real context. The transcript marks it, the audio drills it. Free to start.