含糊其辞 (hán hú qí cí) — to speak ambiguously; to equivocate; to be deliberately vague
Definition
A chengyu meaning to speak on purpose without committing — dodging the question rather than lying. Carries a critical tone, blaming the speaker for being evasive.
verb
to speak ambiguouslyto equivocateto be deliberately vague
Examples
- 含糊其辞，。Tā zài huí dá wèn tí shí zǒng shì hán hú qí cí, bù kěn shuō qīng chǔ.He always speaks ambiguously when answering questions and refuses to be clear.
- ，含糊其辞，。Jì zhě zhuī wèn le jǐ cì, tā hái shì hán hú qí cí, méi yǒu zhèng miàn huí yìng.The reporter pressed him several times, but he still equivocated and didn't respond directly.
- 含糊其辞。Zhè zhǒng hán hú qí cí de shuō fǎ ràng rén wú fǎ xiāng xìn.This kind of deliberately vague statement makes it impossible to trust.
Origin
Compound word构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object
An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.
含糊 supplies the idea of vagueness, and 其辞 points to the words left unclear.
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