Chinese word

含糊

Pronunciation

Pinyinhán hú

Meaning

  • adjectivevague

Example

他的回答很含糊，我不懂。tā de huí dá hěn hán hú wǒ bù dǒng

His answer is vague, and I do not understand.

Illustration for 含糊 (vague)

More examples

合同条款表述含糊，双方容易产生争议。hé tóng tiáo kuǎn biǎo shù hán hú shuāng fāng róng yì chǎn shēng zhēng yì

The wording of the contract is vague, so disputes can easily arise between the two sides.

Core concept

Meaning seen through a fogged surface: the general idea appears, but the details and boundaries remain unclear.

Common phrases

  • 回答含糊huí dá hán hú

    vague answer

  • 说话含糊shuō huà hán hú

    speak vaguely

  • 态度含糊tài dù hán hú

    vague attitude

Similar words

模糊mó hú: Unclear in shape or meaning, with details and boundaries that are difficult to make out.
模棱两可mó léng liáng kě: Unclear in wording or stance, so the meaning can be understood in either of two ways.

Definition in Chinese

表示说话或表述模糊、不明确，缺乏清晰界定，使听者难以理解确切意思。biǎo shì shuō huà huò biǎo shù mó hú bù míng què quē fá qīng xī jiè dìng shǐ tīng zhě nán yǐ lí jiě què qiè yì si

Word origin

含糊 (hánhú, "vague") is a lexicalized compound whose modern meaning is learned as a whole rather than reliably derived from the separate meanings of its characters.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this word fits answers and explanations whose key point remains unresolved, not merely speech that is soft, quiet, or hard to hear.

Other meanings

  • indistinctadjective

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word