About
The character "言" originated as a pictographic representation of a tongue emerging from a mouth, which directly linked it to the act of speaking and the sounds produced. Over time, its form stabilized into a structure that visually simplified this concept, becoming a foundational element representing speech and language itself. Its core meaning expanded from the physical act of uttering words to encompass the words themselves, a single word, speech as a general concept, and even theories or doctrines. Furthermore, "言" functions as a significant semantic component, or radical, in many other Chinese characters related to speech, language, and communication, such as in "話" (talk), "語" (language), and "說" (speak), where it imparts this thematic connection. The traditional form of the character is identical to the simplified form in this case, preserving its historical structure.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
学习语言很有趣。
他发言很流利。
言论自由很重要。
言行一致是美德。
请用言语表达清楚。
他的预言竟然成真了。
他的言论引起了广泛讨论。
这本书阐述了作者的言论。