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谣言 (yáo yán) — rumor

Definition

谣言 is the most common word for 'rumor' in news and public discourse, often with a negative sense of unverified or harmful information. Compared with 传言 and 传闻, it more strongly implies falsehood and moral judgment.

noun
rumor

Examples

  • 谣言。
    Zhè zhǒng yáo yán yǐ jīng zài wǎng shàng chuán kāi le.
    This kind of rumor has already spread online.
  • ，谣言。
    Wǒ men yào xiāng xìn shì shí, bú yào qīng xìn yáo yán.
    We must believe the facts and not easily trust rumors.
  • 谣言。
    Sàn bù yáo yán shì bú dào dé de xíng wéi.
    Spreading rumors is unethical behavior.

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.

谣yáorumor
言yánwords

谣 means rumor and 言 means words, so 谣言 is rumor-spreading words.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 謠; 谣 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
䍃
䍃䍃謠yáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 謠 puts 言, meaning speech, beside 䍃, which supplies the sound; the simplified 谣 is a later shorthand.

Open 谣 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Communication & Speech5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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