聊聊 (liáo liáo) — to have a chat, to chat (casually)

Definition

Reduplicated verb: a light, casual 'have a chat' — shorter and more relaxed than 谈一谈 or 商量, and informal compared with 谈话. Use for everyday small talk between friends.

bound form

to have a chatto chat (casually)

Examples

聊聊。
Wǒ men zhǎo gè shí jiān zuò xià lái liáo liáo ba.
Let's find some time to sit down and have a chat.
，聊聊。
Hǎo jiǔ méi jiàn le, zhǎo gè dì fāng liáo liáo.
Long time no see, let's find a place to chat.
，聊聊。
Wǎn shàng méi shì de huà, wǒ men kě yǐ liáo liáo.
If you're free in the evening, we can chat a bit.

Origin

Reduplicated word

构词法gòucífǎ

重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

聊liáochat

Repeating 聊 gives a casual, brief chat.

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.

耳卯聊

Meaning part形符xíngfú

耳耳ěrear

Sound part声符shēngfú

卯

卯mǎo聊liáo

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

聊 shows 耳 (ear) beside 卯, which gives the sound. Its original meaning was tinnitus.

Open 聊 →