谈论 (tán lùn) — to discuss, to talk about | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

谈论 (tánlùn) is a slightly formal verb for 'to discuss / talk about' a topic. 谈 is shorter and more casual; 讨论 is closer to 'deliberate' (often in a meeting or group).

verb

to discussto talk about

Examples

谈论。
Tā men jīng cháng tán lùn zhèng zhì wèn tí.
They often discuss political issues.
谈论。
Wǒ bù xǐ huan zài gōng gòng chǎng hé tán lùn sī shì.
I don't like to discuss personal matters in public.
谈论。
Wǒ men huā le liǎng gè xiǎo shí tán lùn zhè ge fāng àn.
We spent two hours discussing this plan.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

论lùndiscuss

谈 means to talk and 论 means to discuss, so together they mean to talk about something.

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.

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.

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 論; 论 is its simplified writing.

言侖論

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

侖

侖lún論lùn

Same sound today

The traditional form 論 pairs 言 (“say”) with 侖 as a sound component; the simplified 论 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Appears in

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