谈笑 (tán xiào) — to talk and laugh

Definition

谈笑 (tánxiào) is a literary, set-phrase verb meaning 'to talk and laugh' together — almost always appears in the pattern 谈笑间 / 谈笑中 to describe a relaxed, easy atmosphere. It is more formal and written than the everyday 聊天 or 说话.

verb
to talk and laugh

Examples

  • 谈笑，。
    Lǎo péng you men jù zài yì qǐ tán xiào, qì fen fēi cháng yú kuài.
    Old friends gathered together to talk and laugh, the atmosphere was very pleasant.
  • 谈笑，。
    Hái zi men zài gōng yuán lǐ tán xiào zhe, wán dé hěn kāi xīn.
    The children are talking and laughing in the park, having a great time playing.
  • 谈笑，。
    Huì chǎng shàng dà jiā dī shēng tán xiào, dàn hěn kuài ān jìng xià lái.
    At the venue, people talked and laughed in low voices, but soon quieted down.

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.

谈tántalk
笑xiàolaugh

谈 means to talk, and 笑 means to laugh; together they mean chatting and laughing.

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 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 →

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
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
艸
艸cǎo笑xiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

An early 笑 used the grass 艸 for the sound and the dog 犬 for the meaning; later it was written with 竹 and 夭.

Open 笑 →

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