Chinese word

名言

Pronunciation

Pinyinmíng yán

Meaning

nounfamous saying

Example

这本书里有很多名言，都很有启发。zhè běn shū lǐ yǒu hěn duō míng yán dōu hěn yǒu qǐ fā

This book contains many famous sayings, all of them inspiring.

More examples

他的演讲以名言开场，现场气氛热烈。tā de yán jiǎng yǐ míng yán kāi chǎng xiàn chǎng qì fēn rè liè

His speech opened with a famous saying, and the atmosphere was lively.

Core concept

A short line that preserves a person's viewpoint in a form others can remember and repeat.

Common phrases

引用名言yǐn yòng míng yán
cite a famous saying
广为流传的名言guǎng wèi liú chuán de míng yán
widely circulated famous saying
脍炙人口的名言kuài zhì rén kǒu de míng yán
well-known famous saying

Similar words

名句míng jù: A beautiful, striking line from a poem, story, speech, or other work.
格言gé yán: A concise saying that teaches a lesson about how to live or what matters.
语录yǔ lù: A recorded quotation from a particular person, or a collection of such quotations.

Definition in Chinese

简短且有启发性或洞见性的句子，常被引用并被记住，反映说话者的观点或智慧。jián duǎn qiě yǒu qǐ fā xìng huò dòng jiàn xìng de jù zi cháng bèi yǐn yòng bìng bèi jì zhù fǎn yìng shuō huà zhě de guān diǎn huò zhì huì

Word origin

名 (míng, "fame") + 言 (yán, "words") joins reputation with speech, narrowing the broad idea of words to a statement known for its insight.

Usage tips

In everyday Chinese, this noun works for lines encountered in books and for lines used in speeches, so it is not limited to spoken remarks.

Other meanings

maximnoun
quotationnoun

Related words

名言警句míng yán jǐng jùfamous sayings and maximsnoun
名言集míng yán jíbook of famous sayingsnoun