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传闻 (chuán wén) — (noun) rumor, hearsay; (verb) to be rumored, it is said that

Definition

传闻 (chuánwén) is 'rumor/hearsay' — weaker and less definite than 谣言, which implies unverified and possibly false. Use 据说说 for 'it is said' in writing; 传闻 is the noun form for the content itself.

noun
rumorhearsay
verb
to be rumoredit is said that

Examples

  • 传闻，。
    Zhè zhǐ shì yí gè chuán wén, bié tài dàng zhēn.
    This is just a rumor; don't take it too seriously.
  • 传闻。
    chuán wén Tā xià ge yuè jiù yào cí zhí le.
    It is rumored that he will resign next month.
  • 传闻。
    Shì chǎng shàng yǒu bù shǎo guān yú xīn chǎn pǐn de chuán wén.
    There are quite a few rumors about the new product in the market.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

传chuánspread
闻wénhear

传 (spread) + 闻 (hear): something spread and heard, hence a rumor or hearsay.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 傳; 传 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān傳chuán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 傳 puts 人 (man) beside 專, which gives the sound; the simplified 传 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the historical ones.

Open 传 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 聞; 闻 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
門
門mén聞wén
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 聞, 門 supplies the sound and 耳 is an ear; this explanation is about 聞, not the simplified 闻.

Open 闻 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Communication & Speech

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