少言寡语 (shǎo yán guǎ yǔ) — quiet and reserved, taciturn, not talkative

Definition

Idiom for someone who rarely speaks — 'taciturn, of few words.' Used for people, not single moments of silence; stronger and more literary than plain 安静.

idiom
quiet and reservedtaciturnnot talkative

Examples

  • 少言寡语，。
    Tā píng shí shǎo yán guǎ yǔ, dàn guān jiàn shí kè zǒng néng shuō chū hěn yǒu jiàn dì de huà.
    He is usually quiet and reserved, but at critical moments he always says insightful things.
  • 少言寡语，。
    Zhè ge zuò jiā zài gōng zhòng miàn qián zǒng shì shǎo yán guǎ yǔ, kě shì bǐ xià què chōng mǎn le qíng gǎn.
    This writer is always taciturn in public, yet his writing is full of emotion.
  • ，少言寡语，。
    Tā xìng gé nèi xiàng, shǎo yán guǎ yǔ, què yǒu yì shuāng shàn yú guān chá de yǎn jing.
    She is introverted and quiet, but she has a pair of eyes that are good at observing.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

少言few words
少shǎofew言yánspeech
偏正Modifier + head
寡语few words
寡guǎfew语yǔspeech
偏正Modifier + head

少 and 寡 mean few, while 言 and 语 mean speech; together they describe someone with few words.

Characters in this word

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

The form 少 is drawn as four dots, perhaps three grains of sand, to indicate a few or a little.

Open 少 →

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 →

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

  • 宀宀miánhouse
  • 頁頁yèhead

The form 寡 pairs 宀, a house, with 頁, a head: one head in a house, alone.

Open 寡 →

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 語; 语 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
吾
吾wú語yǔ
Same sound today

The form 語 pairs 言 (speech) with 吾, which gives the sound; this note is about 語, not 语.

Open 语 →

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