TongTong
Sign in

详谈 (xiáng tán) — to discuss in detail, to talk at length about something

Definition

详 (xiáng) means 'in detail'; 详谈 is a formal verb meaning to discuss something thoroughly and at length. More written and structured than 谈谈 or 聊, which are casual.

verb
to discuss in detail, to talk at length about something

Examples

  • ，详谈。
    Guān yú zhè ge wèn tí, wǒ men míng tiān zài xiáng tán.
    Let's discuss this issue in detail tomorrow.
  • 详谈，。
    Tā men xiáng tán le sān gè xiǎo shí, zhōng yú dá chéng le gòng shí.
    They talked in detail for three hours and finally reached a consensus.
  • 详谈。
    Wǒ xiǎng gēn nǐ xiáng tán yí xià nǐ de jì huà.
    I'd like to talk with you in detail about your plan.

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.

详xiángdetailed
谈tántalk

“详” means detailed, and “谈” means talk, so the sense is to talk in detail.

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 詳; 详 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
羊
羊yáng詳xiáng
Same sound today

In the traditional form 詳, 言 points to speech, and 羊 supplies the sound.

Open 详 →

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
Communication & Speech

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.