Definition
含蓄 (hán xù) describes a person who is reserved and not expressive, or speech/writing that is implicit and veiled. It differs from 深沉 (shēn chén), which emphasizes depth of thought, and 内向 (nèi xiàng), which is about introverted personality. As a verb, it means to contain abstractly (e.g., meaning, emotion), similar to 蕴含 (yùn hán) but less common.
verb
(adjective, of a person) reservedrestrainednot expressive(adjective, of speech or writing) implicitveiledfull of hidden meaningto containto hold (abstractly)
Examples
- 含蓄，。Tā xìnggé hán xù, bù xǐhuan zài gōnggòng chǎnghé dà shēng shuōhuà.He has a reserved personality and dislikes speaking loudly in public.
- 含蓄，。Nà shǒu shī xiě de fēicháng hán xù, xūyào fǎnfù pǐnwèi cái néng lǐjiě shēn yì.That poem is written very implicitly; you need to savor it repeatedly to grasp the deep meaning.
- 。Zhège bǐyù hán xù zhe zuòzhě duì rénshēng de shēnkè sīkǎo.This metaphor contains the author's profound thoughts about life.
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