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坦率 (tǎn shuài) — frank, candid, straightforward (in speech or attitude)

Definition

Used for a person's manner of speaking or attitude: open and honest without hiding things, like 坦诚 and 坦白, but typically modifying speech, replies, or discussion style rather than confession.

adjective
frankcandidstraightforward (in speech or attitude)

Examples

  • 坦率，。
    Tā de huí dá hěn tǎn shuài, méi yǒu yǐn mán rèn hé shì shí.
    His answer was very frank, without hiding any facts.
  • 坦率。
    Wǒ men xū yào jìn xíng yí cì tǎn shuài de duì huà.
    We need to have a frank conversation.
  • 坦率。
    Tā tǎn shuài de chéng rèn le zì jǐ de cuò wù.
    She frankly admitted her own mistake.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

坦tǎnopen
率lǜstraightforward

坦 means open and 率 means straightforward, so together they describe frank speech or attitude.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
旦
旦dàn坦tǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

坦 is made from 土 (earth) plus 旦, which provides the sound. The earth part shows the sense is about ground.

Open 坦 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

率 was drawn as a bird-catching net, with a stick above and below. In the form described, the lower horizontal stroke is missing, so the whole shape represents a rope.

Open 率 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 5Personality & Traits

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