语体通常分为口语和书面语。有些多音字的读音也取决于语体色彩，像“血”这个字，用在合成词和成语中，属于书面语用法，应该读成xue4。如果是单独使用或用在短语中，就属于口语用法，读成xie3。
yǔtī tōngcháng fēnwéi kǒuyǔ hé shūmiànyǔ 。yǒuxiē duōyīnzì de dúyīn yě qǔjué yú yǔtī sècǎi ，xiàng “xiě ”zhège zì ，yòng zài héchéngcí hé chéngyǔ zhōng ，shǔyú shūmiànyǔ yòngfǎ ，yīnggāi dú chéng xuè 。rúguǒ shì dāndú shǐyòng huò yòng zài duǎnyǔ zhōng ，jiù shǔyú kǒuyǔ yòngfǎ ，dú chéng xiě 。
Generally, style is classified as oral or written. Some pronunciations are determined by the shade of meaning in a style. Like the word ''blood." When it's used with other characters, or in proverbs, it's being used in the written style, and should be pronounced ''xue." When it's on its own, or in short phrases, it is oral, and should be read ''xie."