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坦言 (tǎn yán) — to say candidly, to acknowledge frankly; candid statement, frank words

Definition

坦言 is a formal verb meaning to say something openly and honestly, used in writing or formal speech. Compared with 坦白, it highlights stating one's view frankly rather than confessing wrongdoing.

to say candidlyto acknowledge franklycandid statementfrank words

Examples

  • 坦言。
    Tā tǎn yán zì jǐ bìng bù mǎn yì zhè ge jié guǒ.
    He candidly said that he was not satisfied with this result.
  • ，坦言。
    Zài huì yì shàng, tā tǎn yán le zì jǐ de zhēn shí xiǎng fǎ.
    At the meeting, she frankly stated her true thoughts.
  • 坦言。
    Tā de tǎn yán ràng suǒ yǒu rén gǎn dào yì wài.
    His candid statement surprised everyone.

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.

坦tǎncandid
言yánspeak

坦言 puts 坦 'candid' with 言 'speak' to mean speak frankly or a frank statement.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
旦
旦dàn坦tǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

坦 is made from 土 (earth) plus 旦, which provides the sound. The earth part shows the sense is about ground.

Open 坦 →

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 7-9

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