和谈 (hé tán) — peace talks | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal, diplomatic term for peace negotiations between opposing sides, especially at the international or governmental level.

noun

peace talks

Examples

和谈，。
Jīng guò jǐ lún hé tán, shuāng fāng zhōng yú dá chéng le xié yì.
After several rounds of peace talks, both sides finally reached an agreement.
和谈。
Guó jì shè huì hū yù liǎng guó chóng xīn qǐ dòng hé tán.
The international community calls on the two countries to restart peace talks.
和谈。
hé tán De pò liè dǎo zhì chōng tū zài cì shēng jí.
The breakdown of peace talks led to another escalation of the conflict.

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.

和 conveys peace and 谈 conveys discussion, so the term means talks aimed at peace.

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.

禾口和

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

禾

禾hé和hé

Same sound today

和 pairs 禾, which gives the sound, with 口 (mouth), the meaning part; the reference connects this shape to harmony.

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 談; 谈 is its simplified writing.

言炎談

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánspeech

Sound part声符shēngfú

炎

炎yán談tán

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 谈, the traditional form 談 pairs 言 (speech) with 炎 (yán) as the sound part.

Appears in

International & Diplomacy Government & Politics

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