诡辩 (guǐ biàn) — sophistry; deceitful, fallacious reasoning | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal, written noun for 'sophistry' — arguments that sound logical but are deliberately deceptive. Carries a strongly negative tone, stronger than everyday 'quibbling'.

noun

sophistrydeceitfulfallacious reasoning

Examples

诡辩，。
Tā de fā yán chōng mǎn le guǐ biàn, wán quán méi yǒu shì shí yī jù.
His speech was full of sophistry, with no factual basis at all.
诡辩，。
Zhè zhǒng guǐ biàn zài fǎ xué biàn lùn zhōng hěn cháng jiàn, dàn hěn nán fú rén.
This kind of sophistry is common in legal debates, but it's hard to convince others.
诡辩。
Yòng guǐ biàn yǎn gài cuò wù zhī huì ràng wèn tí gèng yán zhòng.
Using sophistry to cover up mistakes only makes the problem worse.

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.

诡guǐcunning

辩biànargument

诡 adds cunning, and 辩 is argument, so 诡辩 is sophistry.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 詭; 诡 is its simplified writing.

言危詭

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

危

危wēi詭guǐ

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

The traditional form 詭 pairs 言 (say) with 危 as a sound part; the simplified 诡 is a later abbreviation.

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 辯; 辩 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

辡

辡biàn辯biàn

Same sound today

The traditional form 辯 pairs 言, meaning say, with 辡, which gives the sound; the simplified 辩 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

Communication & Speech

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