说辞

excuse / pretext / entreaties / arguments

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

old variant of 辭|辞[ci2]

to resign / to dismiss / to decline / to take leave / ballad (archaic poetic genre) / variant of 詞|词[ci2]