谗言 (chán yán) — slander, calumny; slanderous words spoken to a superior to harm someone

Definition

Slander deliberately spoken to a superior (a ruler, boss, parent) to damage someone they should protect — not just any false accusation. Often paired with 进/听信 in classical-leaning contexts.

noun
slandercalumnyslanderous words spoken to a superior to harm someone

Examples

  • 谗言，。
    Huáng dì tīng xìn le jiān chén de chán yán, bǎ zhōng chén shā le.
    The emperor believed the treacherous minister's slander and killed the loyal official.
  • ，谗言。
    Zài gōng zuò zhōng, yào xiǎo xīn nà xiē bié yǒu yòng xīn de rén sàn bù chán yán.
    At work, be careful of people with ulterior motives spreading slander.
  • 谗言。
    Lì shǐ shàng yǒu xǔ duō míng rén yīn chán yán ér méng yuān.
    In history, many famous people were wronged because of slander.

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.

谗chánslanderous talk
言yánwords/speech

谗 is slanderous talk, and 言 is words or speech, yielding slander or calumny.

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 讒; 谗 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
毚
毚chán讒chán
Same sound today

The traditional form 讒 pairs 言 (speech) with 毚 for the sound; the simplified 谗 is a later shorthand.

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The early form of 言 shows an opening and a mark indicating a location; the location is not described as the source of speech.

Open 言 →

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