寡言 (guǎ yán) — taciturn; quiet; reserved

Definition

Examples

• 他性格寡言，不喜欢参加社交活动。
  Tā xìng gé guǎ yán, bù xǐ huan cān jiā shè jiāo huó dòng.
  He is reserved by nature and doesn't like attending social events.
• 那位学者向来寡言，但在学术讨论中却非常犀利。
  Nà wèi xué zhě xiàng lái guǎ yán, dàn zài xué shù tǎo lùn zhōng què fēi cháng xī lì.
  That scholar has always been taciturn, but he is very sharp in academic discussions.
• 她虽然寡言，可一开口就一针见血。
  Tā suī rán guǎ yán, kě yì kāi kǒu jiù yì zhēn jiàn xiě.
  She is quiet, but when she speaks, she hits the nail on the head.