TongTong
Sign in

名言 (míng yán) — famous saying; well-known remark (often from a notable person)

Definition

A famous saying, typically attributed to a known person (e.g. Confucius). Distinguished from 俗语/俗话 (folk sayings, anonymous and everyday) and 座右铭 (a personal motto).

noun
famous sayingwell-known remark (often from a notable person)
Measure word · 句

Examples

  • 名言。
    Zhè jù míng yán chū zì kǒng zǐ.
    This saying comes from Confucius.
  • 名言。
    Wǒ tè bié xǐ huan zhè jù míng yán.
    I especially like this saying.
  • 名言。
    Tā de yǎn jiǎng zhōng yǐn yòng le xǔ duō míng yán.
    He quoted many famous sayings in his speech.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

名míngfamous
言yánsaying

名言 are sayings that are famous and widely quoted.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

Open 名 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The early form of 言 shows an opening and a mark indicating a location; the location is not described as the source of speech.

Open 言 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Literature & Poetry

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.