高谈阔论 (gāo tán kuò lùn) — to pontificate; to indulge in high-sounding but empty talk

Definition

A negative idiom: talking at length in a grand, lofty way — impressive-sounding but empty of real content or action.

idiom
to pontificateto indulge in high-sounding but empty talk

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā zǒng xǐ huan zài huì yì shàng gāo tán kuò lùn, què cóng bù tí chū jù tǐ fāng àn.
    He always likes to pontificate at meetings, yet never proposes concrete plans.
  • 高谈阔论，。
    Bié zài nà lǐ gāo tán kuò lùn le, gǎn jǐn gàn huó ba.
    Stop your empty talk over there and get to work.
  • 高谈阔论，。
    Jǐ gè péng you jù zài yì qǐ gāo tán kuò lùn, liáo dé hěn jìn xìng.
    A few friends gathered together, chattering away enthusiastically.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

高谈lofty talk
高gāohigh谈tántalk
偏正Modifier + head
阔论broad discourse
阔kuòbroad论lùndiscourse
偏正Modifier + head

高谈 means lofty talk and 阔论 means wide-ranging discourse, so they describe high-sounding but empty talk.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

高 was drawn as a tall building.

Open 高 →

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.

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.

Open 谈 →

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 闊; 阔 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
門門méngate; door
Sound part声符shēngfú
活
活huó闊kuò
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 闊 shows 門, a gate or door, with 活, which gives the sound; the simplified 阔 is a later shorthand.

Open 阔 →

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánsay
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.

Open 论 →

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