风言风语 (fēng yán fēng yǔ) — groundless talk; slanderous gossip

Definition

An idiom for baseless gossip and slanderous rumors, often spread without evidence. Use it for talk that damages someone's reputation, not for casual chat.

idiom
groundless talkslanderous gossip

Examples

  • 风言风语,。
    Bié tīng nà xiē fēng yán fēng yǔ, tā men dōu shì luàn shuō de.
    Don't listen to those groundless rumors; they're all talking nonsense.
  • 风言风语,。
    Gōng sī lǐ zuì jìn fēng yán fēng yǔ hěn duō, dà jiā dōu bù ān xīn gōng zuò.
    There's been a lot of slanderous gossip in the company lately, and everyone is distracted from work.
  • 风言风语,。
    Tā bú zài hu nà xiē fēng yán fēng yǔ, zhǐ guǎn zuò zì jǐ de shì.
    She doesn't care about those groundless talks and just minds her own business.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

风言wind talk
风fēngwind言yánwords
偏正Modifier + head
风语wind speech
风fēngwind语yǔspeech
偏正Modifier + head

The pairs 风言 and 风语 stand side by side, like talk carried on the wind.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 风 →

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 风 →

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.

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.

Open 语 →

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