yán

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Definitions

  1. 1. words
  2. 2. speech
  3. 3. to say
  4. 4. to talk

Example Sentences

1 shown
他們告訴我他們會說兩種語
Source: Tatoeba.org

Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org.

Words Containing 言

一言一行
yī yán yī xíng

every word and action (idiom)

一言不发
yī yán bù fā

to not say a word (idiom)

不言而喻
bù yán ér yù

it goes without saying; it is self-evident

代言人
dài yán rén

spokesperson

传言
chuán yán

rumor

名言
míng yán

saying

宣言
xuān yán

declaration

寓言
yù yán

fable

序言
xù yán

preface

怨言
yuàn yán

complaint

换言之
huàn yán zhī

in other words

方言
fāng yán

the first Chinese dialect dictionary, edited by Yang Xiong 揚雄|扬雄[yáng xióng] in 1st century, containing over 9000 characters

留言
liú yán

to leave a message

发言
fā yán

to make a speech

发言人
fā yán rén

spokesperson

相对而言
xiāng duì ér yán

relatively speaking

总而言之
zǒng ér yán zhī

in short

自言自语
zì yán zì yǔ

to talk to oneself

言行
yán xíng

words and actions

言语
yán yǔ

words

言语
yán yu

to speak

言论
yán lùn

expression of opinion

言辞
yán cí

words

语言
yǔ yán

language

诺言
nuò yán

promise

谎言
huǎng yán

lie

谣言
yáo yán

rumor

预言
yù yán

to predict

一派谎言
yī pài huǎng yán

a pack of lies

一派胡言
yī pài hú yán

a bunch of nonsense

一般而言
yī bān ér yán

generally speaking

一言既出,驷马难追
yī yán jì chū , sì mǎ nán zhuī

lit. once said, a team of horses cannot unsay it (idiom); a promise must be kept

一言堂
yī yán táng

having things decided by the will of a single individual

一言一动
yī yán yī dòng

(one's) every word and deed (idiom)

一言九鼎
yī yán jiǔ dǐng

one word worth nine sacred tripods (idiom); words of enormous weight

一言千金
yī yán qiān jīn

words of enormous weight

一言难尽
yī yán nán jìn

hard to explain in a few words (idiom); complicated and not easy to express succinctly

一言为定
yī yán wéi dìng

(idiom) it's a deal

一言不合
yī yán bù hé

(idiom) to have a disagreement

一言以蔽之
yī yán yǐ bì zhī

one word says it all (idiom, from Analects); to cut a long story short

一言抄百总
yī yán chāo bǎi zǒng

to cut a long story short

一言为重
yī yán wéi zhòng

each word carries weight

一言
yī yán

one sentence

七言律诗
qī yán lǜ shī

verse form consisting of 8 lines of 7 syllables, with rhyme on alternate lines

三言两语
sān yán liǎng yǔ

in a few words (idiom); expressed succinctly

三言两句
sān yán liǎng jù

in a few words (idiom); expressed succinctly

不以人废言
bù yǐ rén fèi yán

not to reject a word because of the speaker (idiom, from Analects); to judge on the merits of the case rather than preference between advisers

不可胜言
bù kě shèng yán

inexpressible (idiom)

不可言喻
bù kě yán yù

inexpressible (idiom)

不幸言中
bù xìng yán zhòng

to turn out just as one predicted or feared

不恤人言
bù xù rén yán

not to worry about the gossip (idiom); to do the right thing regardless of what others say

不听老人言,吃亏在眼前
bù tīng lǎo rén yán , chī kuī zài yǎn qián

(idiom) ignore your elders at your peril

不言不语
bù yán bù yǔ

to not say a word (idiom)

不言自明
bù yán zì míng

self-evident; needing no explanation (idiom)

世界人权宣言
shì jiè rén quán xuān yán

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

五言绝句
wǔ yán jué jù

poetic form consisting of four lines of five syllables, with rhymes on first, second and fourth line

交浅言深
jiāo qiǎn yán shēn

to talk intimately while being comparative strangers (idiom)

人之将死,其言也善
rén zhī jiāng sǐ , qí yán yě shàn

words of a man on his deathbed always come from the heart (proverb)

人微言轻
rén wēi yán qīng

(idiom) what lowly people think counts for little

人言可畏
rén yán kě wèi

gossip is a fearful thing (idiom)

人言啧啧
rén yán zé zé

everyone comments disapprovingly (idiom)

人言籍籍
rén yán jí jí

tongues are wagging (idiom)

人造语言
rén zào yǔ yán

artificial language

仁言利博
rén yán lì bó

Words of benevolence apply universally (idiom). Humanitarian expressions benefit all.

仗义执言
zhàng yì zhí yán

to speak out for justice (idiom); to take a stand on a matter of principle

代言
dài yán

to be a spokesperson

以人废言
yǐ rén fèi yán

to reject a word because of the speaker (idiom, from Analects); to judge on preference between advisers rather than the merits of the case

以言代法
yǐ yán dài fǎ

to substitute one's words for the law (idiom); high-handedly putting one's orders above the law

以言代法,以权压法
yǐ yán dài fǎ , yǐ quán yā fǎ

to substitute one's words for the law and abuse power to crush it (idiom); completely lawless behavior

低级语言
dī jí yǔ yán

low-level (computer) language

低阶语言
dī jiē yǔ yán

low-level (computer) language

何出此言
hé chū cǐ yán

where do these words stem from?

佯言
yáng yán

to claim falsely (literary)

例言
lì yán

introductory remarks

倡言
chàng yán

to propose

倡言者
chàng yán zhě

proposer

元语言
yuán yǔ yán

metalanguage

元语言学意识
yuán yǔ yán xué yì shí

metalinguistic awareness

元语言能力
yuán yǔ yán néng lì

metalinguistic ability

全球而言
quán qiú ér yán

globally; worldwide

六字真言
liù zì zhēn yán

the six-syllable Sanskrit mantra of Avalokiteshvara bodhisattva (i.e. om mani padme hum)

共产党宣言
gòng chǎn dǎng xuān yán

Manifesto of the Communist Party

冗言
rǒng yán

pleonasm (linguistics)

冷言冷语
lěng yán lěng yǔ

sarcastic comments (idiom)

出言
chū yán

to speak

出言不逊
chū yán bù xùn

to speak rudely

前言
qián yán

preface

勿谓言之不预
wù wèi yán zhī bù yù

(idiom) don't say you haven't been forewarned (threat used by the PRC in international diplomacy)

北京语言大学
běi jīng yǔ yán dà xué

Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU)

北京语言学院
běi jīng yǔ yán xué yuàn

Beijing Language Institute

汇编语言
huì biān yǔ yán

assembly language

千言万语
qiān yán wàn yǔ

thousands of words (idiom); having a lot of things to say

印欧语言
yìn ōu yǔ yán

Indo-European (language)

危言危行
wēi yán wēi xíng

upright and plainspoken (idiom)

危言耸听
wēi yán sǒng tīng

frightening words to scare people (idiom); alarmist talk

口不择言
kǒu bù zé yán

to speak incoherently

口出狂言
kǒu chū kuáng yán

to speak conceited nonsense

口无择言
kǒu wú zé yán

to say not a word that is not appropriate (idiom)

古典语言
gǔ diǎn yǔ yán

classical language

只可意会,不可言传
zhǐ kě yì huì , bù kě yán chuán

can be understood, but not described (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[zhuāng zǐ]); mysterious and subtle

只言片语
zhī yán piàn yǔ

(idiom) just a word or two; a few isolated phrases

可以意会,不可言传
kě yǐ yì huì , bù kě yán chuán

can be understood, but not described (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[zhuāng zǐ]); mysterious and subtle

可扩展标记语言
kě kuò zhǎn biāo jì yǔ yán

extensible markup language (XML)

可言
kě yán

it may be said

名不正言不顺
míng bu zhèng yán bu shùn

(of a title, degree etc) illegitimately conferred

名正言顺
míng zhèng yán shùn

in a way that justifies the use of the term

君子一言,驷马难追
jūn zǐ yī yán , sì mǎ nán zhuī

a nobleman's word is his bond (proverb)

哑口无言
yǎ kǒu wú yán

dumbstruck and unable to reply (idiom)

善意的谎言
shàn yì de huǎng yán

white lie

善言
shàn yán

good words

善言辞
shàn yán cí

articulate

国防语言学院
guó fáng yǔ yán xué yuàn

US Defense Language Institute (founded 1941)

坊间传言
fāng jiān chuán yán

rumors

坦言
tǎn yán

to say candidly

多种语言
duō zhǒng yǔ yán

multilingual

多种语言支持
duō zhǒng yǔ yán zhī chí

multilingual support

多言
duō yán

wordy

多语言
duō yǔ yán

polyglot

大恩不言谢
dà ēn bù yán xiè

(maxim) a mere \thank you\ is an insufficient response to a huge favor

大言
dà yán

to exaggerate

大言不惭
dà yán bù cán

to boast shamelessly

失言
shī yán

slip of the tongue

好言
hǎo yán

kind words

好言好语
hǎo yán hǎo yǔ

sincere, well-meant, kind words

妄言
wàng yán

lies

妄言妄听
wàng yán wàng tīng

unwarranted talk the listener can take or leave (idiom); sth not to be taken too seriously

妖言
yāo yán

heresy

妖言惑众
yāo yán huò zhòng

to mislead the public with rumors (idiom)

妙不可言
miào bù kě yán

too wonderful for words

妙在不言中
miào zài bù yán zhōng

the charm lies in what is left unsaid (idiom)

姑妄言之
gū wàng yán zhī

to just talk for the sake of talking

婉言
wǎn yán

tactful

官方语言
guān fāng yǔ yán

official language

宣誓证言
xuān shì zhèng yán

sworn testimony

家丑不可外传,流言切莫轻信
jiā chǒu bù kě wài chuán , liú yán qiè mò qīng xìn

Don't spread abroad the shame of the family, don't believe rumors lightly. (idiom)

察言观色
chá yán guān sè

to weigh up sb's words and observe their facial expression (idiom)

寡言
guǎ yán

taciturn

导言
dǎo yán

introduction

屡出狂言
lǚ chū kuáng yán

repeated gaffes

巧言令色
qiǎo yán lìng sè

to be glib in one's speech and wear an ingratiating expression (idiom)

常言
cháng yán

common saying

常言说得好
cháng yán shuō de hǎo

as the saying goes; as they say...

广开言路
guǎng kāi yán lù

to encourage the free airing of views (idiom)

建言
jiàn yán

to make a suggestion

引言
yǐn yán

foreword

形象代言人
xíng xiàng dài yán rén

(brand or organization) ambassador

微言大义
wēi yán dà yì

subtle words with profound meaning (idiom)

忠言
zhōng yán

sincere advice; heartfelt exhortation

忠言逆耳
zhōng yán nì ěr

loyal advice jars on the ears (idiom)

恶言
è yán

evil tongue

恶言伤人
è yán shāng rén

to insult

慎言
shèn yán

to speak cautiously

戏言
xì yán

joking matter

所言不虚
suǒ yán bù xū

see 所言非虛|所言非虚[suǒ yán fēi xū]

所言非虚
suǒ yán fēi xū

(after a pronoun or name) what (you, they etc) say is true

把酒言欢
bǎ jiǔ yán huān

to drink and chat merrily (idiom)

拙于言词
zhuō yú yán cí

to be unable to express oneself clearly (idiom)

扬言
yáng yán

to put about (a story, plan, threat etc)

换而言之
huàn ér yán zhī

in other words

敢怒而不敢言
gǎn nù ér bù gǎn yán

angry, but not daring to speak out (idiom); obliged to remain silent about one's resentment

文言
wén yán

Classical Chinese

文言文
wén yán wén

Classical Chinese writing

新闻发言人
xīn wén fā yán rén

spokesman

断言
duàn yán

to assert

明言
míng yán

to say clearly

易言之
yì yán zhī

in other words

畅所欲言
chàng suǒ yù yán

lit. fluently saying all one wants (idiom); to preach freely on one's favorite topic

书不尽言
shū bù jìn yán

I have much more to say than can be written in this letter (conventional letter ending) (idiom)

书写语言
shū xiě yǔ yán

written language

木讷寡言
mù nè guǎ yán

honest and unaffected but not talkative (idiom)

杯酒言欢
bēi jiǔ yán huān

a few drinks and a nice conversation (idiom)

格言
gé yán

maxim

概而言之
gài ér yán zhī

same as 總而言之|总而言之[zǒng ér yán zhī]

机械语言
jī xiè yǔ yán

machine language

次方言
cì fāng yán

subdialect

欲言又止
yù yán yòu zhǐ

to want to say sth but then hesitate

欧洲语言
ōu zhōu yǔ yán

European language

正言厉色
zhèng yán lì sè

solemn in word and countenance (idiom); strict and unsmiling

此言不虚
cǐ yán bù xū

see 此言非虛|此言非虚[cǐ yán fēi xū]

此言非虚
cǐ yán fēi xū

that is true

比较而言
bǐ jiào ér yán

comparatively speaking

污言秽语
wū yán huì yǔ

filthy speech

沉静寡言
chén jìng guǎ yán

see 沉默寡言[chén mò guǎ yán]

沉默寡言
chén mò guǎ yán

habitually silent (idiom)

流言
liú yán

rumor

流言蜚语
liú yán fēi yǔ

rumors and slanders (idiom); gossip

溢于言表
yì yú yán biǎo

to exhibit one's feelings in one's speech

满口胡言
mǎn kǒu hú yán

to spout nonsense

满口谎言
mǎn kǒu huǎng yán

to pour out lies

无言
wú yán

to remain silent

无言以对
wú yán yǐ duì

to be left speechless

无言可对
wú yán kě duì

unable to reply (idiom); left speechless

狂言
kuáng yán

ravings

犹言
yóu yán

can be compared to

独立宣言
dú lì xuān yán

Declaration of Independence

王顾左右而言他
wáng gù zuǒ yòu ér yán tā

the king looked left and right and then talked of other things

甘言蜜语
gān yán mì yǔ

(idiom) sweet words

甜言
tián yán

sweet words

甜言美语
tián yán měi yǔ

sweet words, beautiful phrases (idiom); hypocritical flattery

甜言蜜语
tián yán mì yǔ

(idiom) sweet words