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食言 (shí yán) — to break one's promise; to go back on one's word

Definition

食言 (shí yán) means to break a promise or go back on one's word — a fairly formal, written-register verb. It focuses on failing to keep what one said, stronger and more literary than everyday phrases like 说话不算数.

verb
to break one's promiseto go back on one's word

Examples

  • ，食言。
    Tā dā ying bāng máng, zuì hòu què shí yán le.
    He promised to help, but in the end he went back on his word.
  • ，。
    Wǒ cóng wèi shí guò yán, zhè cì yě bú huì.
    I've never broken a promise before, and I won't this time either.
  • ，食言。
    Zuò wéi lǐng dǎo, nǐ jué bù néng shí yán.
    As a leader, you absolutely cannot break your word.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

食shíeat
言yánwords

食 means eat and 言 means words; eating one's words means breaking a promise.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 亼亼jímouth
  • 皀皀jía bowl of rice on a stand

The form behind 食 shows 亼, a mouth, together with 皀, a bowl of rice on a stand. In modern 食, the bowl part has changed shape.

Open 食 →

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 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

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