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直话 (zhí huà) — frank speech; straightforward words

Definition

直话 means 'frank / straightforward words,' usually paired with verbs like 说直话 or 说句直话. It is a fixed-style noun (often with 句) — you do not use it as an adjective.

noun
frank speechstraightforward words

Examples

  • 直话，。
    Tā zhè ge rén xǐ huan zhí huà zhí shuō, cóng bù guǎi wān mò jiǎo.
    He likes to speak frankly and never beats around the bush.
  • 直话，。
    Suī rán zhí huà bù hǎo tīng, dàn duì nǐ hěn yǒu bāng zhù.
    Although frank words are hard to hear, they are very helpful to you.
  • 直话，。
    Wǒ men zhī jiān kě yǐ shuō zhí huà, bú yòng kè qi.
    We can speak frankly between us; no need to be polite.

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
话huàspeech

直 (straight) + 话 (speech) means words spoken straight and 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 →

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 話; 话 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánword
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠯑
𠯑𠯑話huà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 話, 言 relates to words and 𠯑 gives the sound; the simplified 话 is a shorthand, so its right side is not that sound part.

Open 话 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

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