传闻 (chuán wén) — (noun) rumor, hearsay; (verb) to be rumored, it is said that

Definition

传闻 (chuánwén) is 'rumor/hearsay' — weaker and less definite than 谣言, which implies unverified and possibly false. Use 据说说 for 'it is said' in writing; 传闻 is the noun form for the content itself.

noun
rumorhearsay
verb
to be rumoredit is said that

Examples

  • 传闻，。
    Zhè zhǐ shì yí gè chuán wén, bié tài dàng zhēn.
    This is just a rumor; don't take it too seriously.
  • 传闻。
    chuán wén Tā xià ge yuè jiù yào cí zhí le.
    It is rumored that he will resign next month.
  • 传闻。
    Shì chǎng shàng yǒu bù shǎo guān yú xīn chǎn pǐn de chuán wén.
    There are quite a few rumors about the new product in the market.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

传chuánspread
闻wénhear

传 (spread) + 闻 (hear): something spread and heard, hence a rumor or hearsay.

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 傳; 传 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān傳chuán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 傳 puts 人 (man) beside 專, which gives the sound; the simplified 传 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the historical ones.

Open 传 →

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 聞; 闻 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
門
門mén聞wén
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 聞, 門 supplies the sound and 耳 is an ear; this explanation is about 聞, not the simplified 闻.

Open 闻 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Communication & Speech

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