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谣传 (yáo chuán) — (noun) rumor; (verb) to rumor, to spread a rumor

Definition

谣传 highlights the act of unverified information spreading from mouth to mouth, more focused on the process of rumor-spreading than 传闻 (which leans toward a specific unverified report). Often implies the information is unreliable.

noun
rumor
verb
to rumorto spread a rumor

Examples

  • 谣传，。
    Zhè zhǐ shì yí gè yáo chuán, bù néng xiāng xìn.
    This is just a rumor; you shouldn't believe it.
  • 谣传。
    Yǒu rén zài yáo chuán gōng sī yào dǎo bì de xiāo xi.
    Someone is spreading rumors that the company is going bankrupt.
  • 谣传。
    Guān yú tā de yáo chuán hěn kuài chuán kāi le.
    Rumors about him spread quickly.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

谣yáorumor
传chuánspread

谣 denotes rumor and 传 denotes spreading, together meaning a rumor that spreads.

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 謠; 谣 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
䍃
䍃䍃謠yáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 謠 puts 言, meaning speech, beside 䍃, which supplies the sound; the simplified 谣 is a later shorthand.

Open 谣 →

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 傳; 传 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān傳chuán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 傳 puts 人 (man) beside 專, which gives the sound; the simplified 传 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the historical ones.

Open 传 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

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