Meaning of 谈
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to speak
- to talk
- to converse
- to chat
- to discuss
- surname Tan
How to use 谈
谈 means to talk or discuss, usually about a topic, and often sounds a bit more serious than 说 (shuō) or 聊 (liáo). It appears in many compounds like 谈话 (tánhuà), 谈判 (tánpàn) and 会谈 (huìtán). Example: 我们谈谈这个问题吧。(Wǒmen tántan zhège wèntí ba.) Let's talk about this problem.
谈 is made of 讠 (speech) and 炎 (yán, two fires stacked). Picture people talking by a warm fire, the words flowing as the fire burns.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 谈 (tán) with 淡 (dàn, bland or light), which has the water radical 氵 instead of the speech radical 讠. Also keep the second tone in tán. Do not say it with a fourth tone like dàn.
谈 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
谈 tán · to speak · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 谈.
| 谈话 | tánhuà | to talk (with sb); to have a conversation |
| 谈判 | tánpàn | to negotiate; negotiation |
| 会谈 | huìtán | talks; discussions |
| 座谈会 | zuòtánhuì | conference; symposium |
| 谈论 | tánlùn | to discuss; to talk about |
| 交谈 | jiāotán | to discuss; to converse; chat; discussion |
| 谈到 | tándào | to refer to; to speak about |
| 谈起 | tánqǐ | to mention; to speak of |
| 访谈 | fǎngtán | to visit and discuss; to interview |
| 谈不上 | tán bu shàng | to be out of the question |
| 洽谈 | qiàtán | to discuss |
| 夸夸其谈 | kuākuā-qítán | (idiom) to talk big; to sound off; to be full of hot air |
Questions about 谈
What does 谈 mean?
谈 (tán) means "to speak; to talk" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 谈?
谈 is made of 1 character: 谈 (10 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 谈 an HSK word?
Yes. 谈 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 谈 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 谈 is written 談.
What does 谈恋爱 mean?
谈恋爱 (tán liàn'ài) means to be in a romantic relationship or to date someone. For example, 他们在谈恋爱 (tāmen zài tán liàn'ài) means they are dating.
What is the difference between 谈 and 聊?
聊 (liáo) is casual chatting, like 聊天 (liáotiān). 谈 can be casual too, but it is more often used for discussing a specific topic or for formal talks such as business or politics.