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直言 (zhí yán) — to speak bluntly; to be frank

Definition

直言 (zhí yán) means to speak bluntly and frankly, often in formal or serious settings like meetings or critiques. It pairs naturally with 指出 or 不讳, and carries a tone of candor, not rudeness.

verb
to speak bluntlyto be frank

Examples

  • 直言，。
    Shù wǒ zhí yán, nǐ de fāng àn hái yǒu wèn tí.
    Excuse me for being blunt, but your plan still has problems.
  • 直言，。
    Tā gǎn yú zhí yán, bú pà dé zuì rén.
    He dares to speak bluntly and is not afraid of offending people.
  • ，直言。
    Zài huì yì shàng, tā zhí yán zhǐ chū le wèn tí de guān jiàn.
    At the meeting, he bluntly pointed out the key to the problem.

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.

直zhístraight
言yánspeak

直 means straight and 言 means speak, so the word conveys speaking frankly.

Characters in this word

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

The earliest form of 直 pairs 目, an eye, with an unclear stroke 丨.

Open 直 →

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 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

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