委婉 (wěi wǎn) — tactful (handling situations with care to avoid…

Definition

婉 means tactful and indirect in speech — softer and more indirect than 轻 or 低调. Typically describes how something is said, not a person directly.

adjective

tactful (handling situations with care to avoid offense)euphemistic (using indirect or mild words)(of voice, manner) gentle and suavesoft and polite

委婉。
Tā wěi wǎn dì tí chū le bù tóng yì jiàn.
He tactfully raised a different opinion.
委婉。
Zhè shì yì zhǒng wěi wǎn de shuō fǎ.
This is a euphemistic way of saying it.
委婉。
Tā de shēng yīn hěn wěi wǎn róu hé.
Her voice is gentle and soft.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

委wěiindirect; tactful

婉wǎngentle; tactful

委婉 joins 委 'indirect' and 婉 'gentle' to describe tactful, mild expression.

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.

禾女委

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

禾

禾hé委wěi

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

委 has 女 under 禾. 女, a woman, is the meaning part, and 禾 gives the sound.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Appears in