Chinese Conversation · Level 69
90 words
Chinese word
委婉
Pronunciation
Pinyinwěi wǎn
Meaning
- adjectivetactful
Example
他委婉地拒绝了我的邀请。tā wéi wǎn dì jù jué le wǒ de yāo qǐng
He tactfully turned down my invitation.
More examples
他委婉地暗示这个建议不可行。tā wéi wǎn dì àn shì zhè ge jiàn yì bù kě xíng
He tactfully hinted that this suggestion was not feasible.
Core concept
A message takes a soft, winding path instead of meeting the listener head-on.
Common phrases
委婉地拒绝wéi wǎn dì jù jué
tactfully decline
委婉的措辞wéi wǎn de cuò cí
euphemistic wording
委婉地表示wéi wǎn dì biǎo shì
tactfully express
Similar words
婉转wán zhuǎn: Using soft, indirect wording or tone to make a message easier to accept.
含蓄hán xù: Leaving part of a meaning unstated so listeners can grasp it from hints or context.
间接jiàn jiē: Conveying a message through a roundabout form or wording.
Definition in Chinese
指用温和、含蓄的措辞或态度表达想法或拒绝，以免让对方难堪或发生冲突。zhǐ yòng wēn hé hán xù de cuò cí huò tài dù biǎo dá xiáng fǎ huò jù jué yí miǎn ràng duì fāng nán kān huò fā shēng chōng tū
Word origin
委 (wěi, "yielding") + 婉 (wǎn, "gentle and indirect") combines ideas of bending and softness to describe speech that avoids a straight, forceful path.
Usage tips
- In everyday conversation, a softened reply can still be a firm refusal, so polite wording should not be mistaken for agreement.
Other meanings
- indirectadjective
- euphemisticadjective
Opposites
- 直率zhí shuàiforthrightadjective
- 直白zhí báidirectadjective
Related words
- 委婉地wéi wǎn dìtactfullyadverb
- 委婉语wéi wǎn yǔeuphemistic expressionnoun