常言 (cháng yán) — common saying, proverb

Definition

常言 (cháng yán) is a written/literary word for a traditional, well-known saying — used in formal writing and speech, more literary than the everyday 俗语 or 谚语.

noun
common sayingproverb
Easily confused

Examples

  • 常言，。
    cháng yán Shuō de hǎo, zǎo qǐ de niǎo r yǒu chóng chī.
    As the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm.
  • 常言：，。
    Zhōng guó yǒu jù cháng yán: qiān lǐ zhī xíng, shǐ yú zú xià.
    There is a Chinese saying: a thousand-mile journey begins with the first step.
  • 常言，，。
    cháng yán Dào, lù yáo zhī mǎ lì, rì jiǔ jiàn rén xīn.
    A common saying goes: distance tests a horse's strength, time reveals a person's heart.

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.

常chángcommon
言yánsaying

常 gives commonness, and 言 gives a saying, so it means a widely used proverb.

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
巾巾jīncloth
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng常cháng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

常 pairs 巾, a cloth, with 尚 as a sound part; the form originally referred to a lower garment.

Open 常 →

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 →

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