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座谈 (zuò tán) — to have a roundtable discussion (organized, seated discussion on a specific topic)

Definition

座谈 (zuòtán) is a more formal, organized 'roundtable discussion' on a specific topic — sits between 讨论 (general discussion) and 会谈 (official, high-level talks). Often used as a noun: 座谈会 / 座谈会议.

verb
to have a roundtable discussion (organized, seated discussion on a specific topic)
Measure word · 次, 个

Examples

  • 座谈。
    Wǒ men míng tiān xià wǔ zuò tán zhè ge wèn tí.
    We will discuss this issue in a roundtable tomorrow afternoon.
  • 。
    zuò tán Huì shàng dà jiā tí chū le hěn duō jiàn yì.
    At the discussion meeting, many suggestions were raised.
  • 座谈。
    Zhè cì zuò tán yóu liǎng wèi zhuān jiā zhǔ chí.
    This roundtable discussion is chaired by two experts.

Origin

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
广广guǎnghouse on cliff
Sound part声符shēngfú
坐
坐zuò座zuò
Same sound today

座 pairs 广, a house on a cliff, with 坐 to give the sound.

Open 座 →

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 談; 谈 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
炎
炎yán談tán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 谈, the traditional form 談 pairs 言 (speech) with 炎 (yán) as the sound part.

Open 谈 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Communication & Speech

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