寡言少语 (guǎ yán shǎo yǔ) — taciturn, quiet and reserved (of a person's character)

Definition

A set phrase (chengyu-like) describing a person who speaks little and stays quiet — a character trait, not a single act of silence. Closer in feel to 'reserved and reticent' than to simple 'quiet'.

verb
taciturnquiet and reserved (of a person's character)

Examples

  • ，寡言少语。
    Tā xìng gé nèi xiàng, píng shí guǎ yán shǎo yǔ.
    He is introverted and usually quiet and reserved.
  • 寡言少语，。
    Tā suī rán guǎ yán shǎo yǔ, dàn xīn lǐ shén me dōu míng bai.
    Although she is taciturn, she understands everything in her heart.
  • 寡言少语。
    Nà ge guǎ yán shǎo yǔ de lǎo rén qí shí hěn yǒu zhì huì.
    That quiet, reserved old man is actually very wise.

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.

寡言few speech
寡guǎfew言yánspeech
偏正Modifier + head
少语few words
少shǎofew语yǔwords
偏正Modifier + head

寡言 and 少语 both mean few words, and together they describe a taciturn person.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 宀宀miánhouse
  • 頁頁yèhead

The form 寡 pairs 宀, a house, with 頁, a head: one head in a house, alone.

Open 寡 →

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 少 is drawn as four dots, perhaps three grains of sand, to indicate a few or a little.

Open 少 →

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 語; 语 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
吾
吾wú語yǔ
Same sound today

The form 語 pairs 言 (speech) with 吾, which gives the sound; this note is about 語, not 语.

Open 语 →

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