谈谈 (tán tán) — to have a chat; to talk casually or briefly dis… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

谈谈 is a casual, light 'have a chat / talk something over' — the -了/着 reduplication softens the verb, making it feel more relaxed than 讨论 (more formal, structured) or 谈 itself (more direct).

verb

to have a chatto talk casually or briefly discuss

Examples

谈谈。
Wǒ men zhǎo gè shí jiān tán tán ba.
Let's find a time to chat.
，谈谈。
Guān yú zhè ge wèn tí, wǒ xiǎng hé nǐ tán tán.
Regarding this issue, I'd like to have a talk with you.
谈谈。
Tā men zhèng zài tán tán hé zuò de shì.
They are talking about the cooperation matter.

Origin

Reduplicated word

构词法gòucífǎ

重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

The repeated 谈 gives a brief, casual sense to talking.

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 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

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