说来话长

start explaining and it's a long story (idiom); complicated and not easy to express succinctly

to persuade

to speak / to say / to explain / to scold / to tell off / a theory (typically the last character in a compound, as in 日心說|日心说 heliocentric theory)

variant of 說|说[shuo1]

to speak; to talk; to say / to explain; to comment / to scold; to tell off / (bound form) theory; doctrine

to come / to arrive / to come round / ever since / next

dialect / language / spoken words / speech / talk / words / conversation / what sb said / CL:種|种[zhong3],席[xi2],句[ju4],口[kou3],番[fan1]

old variant of 話|话[hua4]

length / long / forever / always / constantly

chief / head / elder / to grow / to develop / to increase / to enhance