言 yán

1. yán verb to speak; to say; said
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: In this sense 言 means 说. For example, 自言自语 'talk to oneself' (CCI p. 24; GHC '言' 1, 2; Kroll 2015 '言' 1)
2. yán noun language; talk; words; utterance; speech
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: For example, in literary Chinese, 忠言逆耳 'honest advice, [although] unpleasant to the ear[, induces good conduct]', from Han Feizi's Wai Chu Shuo Zuo Shang (DCP 'Z137'; Kroll 2015 '言' 2).
3. yán noun Kangxi radical 149
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Radicals
   Notes: To speak (ABC back cover; GHC p. 7)
4. yán particle a particle with no meaning
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Function Words
   Notes: (GHC '言' 5; Kroll 2015 '言' 3)
5. yán noun phrase; sentence
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: (Kroll 2015 '言' 2a)
6. yán noun a word; a syllable
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: (GHC '言' 4; Kroll 2015 '言' 2b)
7. yán noun a theory; a doctrine
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: In the sense of 学说 (GHC '言' 3; Kroll 2015 '言' 4)
8. yán verb to regard as
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: (Kroll 2015 '言' 5)
9. yán verb to act as
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: (Kroll 2015 '言' 5a)

Contained in

• 违言(違言) unreasonable words; wounding complaints
• 闭口不言(閉口不言) to keep silent
• 吉言 kind words ; kind wishes
• 发言权(發言權) the right of speech
• 恶言伤人(惡言傷人) to insult; to direct bad language at somebody; to slag off
• 闲言碎语(閑言碎語) idle gossip; irrelevant nonsense; slanderous rumor
• 危言耸听(危言聳聽) frightening words to scare people; alarmist talk; reds under the beds
• 一言不发(一言不發) to not say a word
• 可以意会，不可言传(可以意會，不可言傳) can be understood, but not described; mysterious and subtle
• 以人废言(以人廢言) to reject a word because of the speaker (idiom, from Analects)
• 交言 to discuss
• 一言 one sentence ; a brief remark ; one character
• 静言(靜言) pleasant but unrealistic speech
• 人言可畏 gossip is a fearful thing
• 元语言(元語言) metalanguage
• 一言以蔽之 all embraced in one saying
• 信守诺言(信守諾言) to keep a promise
• 以言代法 to substitute one's words for the law; high-handedly putting one's orders above the law
• 听其言观其行(聽其言觀其行) hear what he says and observe what he does
• 密言 secretly tell
• 真言 true words ; an incantation
• 食言而肥 to grow fat eating one's words; not to live up to one's promises
• 可言 it may be said
• 预言家(預言家) prophet
• 书不尽言(書不盡言) I have much more to say than can be written in this letter (conventional letter ending)
• 隐忍不言(隱忍不言) to keep one's emotions inside oneself; to restrain one's emotions
• 言而不信 to say something without believing it
• 至理名言 the most reasonable explanation; a famous maxim
• 直言正谏(直言正諫) honest speech and direct advice
• 言词泠泠(言詞泠泠) spoken in a serious tone
• 简言之(簡言之) in simple terms; to put things simply; briefly
• 美言不信 to say words of praise without believing their truth
• 谮言(譖言) slander
• 汉方言(漢方言) Han Chinese dialects
• 善言辞(善言辭) articulate; eloquent
• 不言不语(不言不語) to not say a word; to be silent
• 甜言美语(甜言美語) sweet words, beautiful phrases; hypocritical flattery
• 閒言閒语(閒言閒語) idle gossip
• 巧言令色 to flatter with artful speech and ingratiating manners
• 诈言(詐言) a lie

Also contained in

元语言能力 、 断言 、 元语言学意识 、 国防语言学院 、 北梦琐言 、 应用语言学 、 警世通言 、 汇编语言 、 认知语言学 、 超文本标记语言 、 醒世恒言

Word is mentioned most frequently in

Truncated for common words

• 卷三十二 Scroll 32 Wenxuan 文選 — count: 298
• 《言部》 Yán Radical Shuo Wen Jie Zi 說文解字 — count: 276
• 卷三十三 Scroll 33 Wenxuan 文選 — count: 224
• 卷十七 Scroll 17 Wenxuan 文選 — count: 203
• 卷一百九十六 列傳第八十四 張璁 桂萼 方獻夫 夏言 Volume 196 Biographies 84: Zhang Cong, Gui E, Fang Xianfu, Xia Yan History of Ming 明史 — count: 199
• 卷三 Scroll 3 Wenxuan 文選 — count: 195
• 卷二十九 魏書二十九 方技傳 Volume 29: Book of Wei 29 - Biographies of fangshis and artisans Records of the Three Kingdoms 三國志 — count: 150
• 卷十六 Scroll 16 Wenxuan 文選 — count: 130
• 卷三百〇八 列傳第一百九十六 奸臣 胡惟庸 陳瑛 嚴嵩 周延儒 溫體仁 馬士英 Volume 308 Biographies 196: Treacherous Officials - Hu Weiyong, Chen Ying, Yan Song, Zhou Yanru, Wen Tiren, Ma ShiYing History of Ming 明史 — count: 124
• 卷十九 Scroll 19 Wenxuan 文選 — count: 122

Collocations

• 言采 (言采) 薄言采之 — The Book of Songs 詩經, 國風‧周南‧芣苢 Lessons from the states - Odes Of Zhou And The South - Fu Yi — count: 14
• 薄言 (薄言) 薄言采之 — The Book of Songs 詩經, 國風‧周南‧芣苢 Lessons from the states - Odes Of Zhou And The South - Fu Yi — count: 14
• 言归 (言歸) 言告言歸 — The Book of Songs 詩經, 國風‧周南‧葛覃 Lessons from the states - Odes Of Zhou And The South - Ge Tan — count: 6
• 愿言 (願言) 願言則嚏 — The Book of Songs 詩經, 國風‧邶‧終風 Lessons from the states - Odes of Bei - Zhong Feng — count: 6
• 言思 (言思) 願言思子 — The Book of Songs 詩經, 國風‧邶‧二子乘舟 Lessons from the states - Odes of Bei - Er Zi Cheng Zhou — count: 4
• 酌言 (酌言) 酌言嘗之 — The Book of Songs 詩經, 小雅‧魚藻之什‧瓠葉 Minor odes of the kingdom - Yu Zao Zhi Shen - Hu Ye — count: 4
• 言言 (言言) 崇墉言言 — The Book of Songs 詩經, 大雅‧文王之什‧皇矣 Greater odes of the kingdom - Decade Of Wen Wang - Huang Yi — count: 4
• 言念 (言念) 言念君子 — The Book of Songs 詩經, 國風‧秦‧小戎 Lessons from the states - Odes of Qin - Xiao Rong — count: 3
• 受言 (受言) 受言藏之 — The Book of Songs 詩經, 小雅‧南有嘉魚之什‧彤弓 Minor odes of the kingdom - Nan You Jia Yu Zhi Shen - Tong Gong — count: 3
• 章言 (章言) 一章言其完也 — The Book of Songs 詩經, 國風‧豳‧東山 Lessons from the states - Odes of Cao - Dong Shan — count: 3