谚语 (yàn yǔ) — proverb; saying; adage | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A traditional, often short saying that expresses a common truth or piece of wisdom (e.g. about work, weather, or life), passed down in a culture.

noun

proverbsayingadage

Measure word · 句

Examples

谚语。
Zhōng guó yǒu hěn duō guān yú qín láo de yàn yǔ.
China has many proverbs about diligence.
谚语。
Zhè jù yàn yǔ gào sù wǒ men zuò shì yào jiǎo tà shí dì.
This saying tells us to be down-to-earth when doing things.
谚语。
Lǎo shī yòng yí jù gǔ lǎo de yàn yǔ lái gǔ lì wǒ men.
The teacher used an old proverb to encourage us.

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.

谚yànproverb

语yǔsaying

谚 gives the proverb sense, and 语 gives the saying sense.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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.

言吾語

Meaning part形符xíngfú

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.

Appears in

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