空谈 (kōng tán) — (verb) to engage in empty talk, to talk without… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

空谈 means empty talk — talk with no action behind it. Used in formal or written contexts to criticize speeches, plans, or promises that lead to nothing.

verb

to engage in empty talkto talk without acting

noun

empty talkhot airmere words

Examples

空谈，。
Guāng kōng tán bù xíng dòng, shén me wèn tí yě jiě jué bù liǎo.
Just engaging in empty talk without action won't solve any problem.
空谈。
Tā nà xiē kōng tán méi yǒu rén huì dàng zhēn.
Nobody takes his empty talk seriously.
空谈，。
kōng tán Wù guó, shí gàn xīng bāng.
Empty talk harms the country; practical work builds it up.

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.

空 means empty and 谈 means talk; together they refer to talk without action.

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.

穴工空

Meaning part形符xíngfú

穴穴xuécave, hole

Sound part声符shēngfú

工

工gōng空kōng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

空 is built from 穴, a cave or hole, and 工, which gives the sound.

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.

言炎談

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.

Appears in

Communication & Speech

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