Chinese word

绯闻

Pronunciation

Pinyinfēi wén

Meaning

  • noungossip

Example

大家喜欢谈论明星的绯闻。dà jiā xǐ huān tán lùn míng xīng de fēi wén

Everyone likes talking about celebrity gossip.

Illustration for 绯闻 (gossip)

More examples

关于他的绯闻很快被澄清。guān yú tā de fēi wén hěn kuài bèi chéng qīng

The gossip about him was quickly cleared up.

Core concept

A stream of romantic or private-life reports attached to a celebrity or another public figure.

Common phrases

  • 传出绯闻chuán chū fēi wén

    gossip spreads

  • 爆出绯闻bào chū fēi wén

    gossip is exposed

  • 曝光绯闻bào guāng fēi wén

    expose gossip

Similar words

八卦bā guà: Talk about private lives or minor happenings, often shared out of curiosity or amusement.
谣言yáo yán: A baseless rumor or piece of false information that spreads among people.
流言liú yán: A brief piece of hearsay that spreads through spoken word from one person to another.
丑闻chǒu wén: A major scandal made public and harmful to someone's good name.

Definition in Chinese

指针对名人或公众人物的关于恋爱、暧昧或私生活的传闻或报道，通常未经官方证实并带有猜测成分。zhǐ zhēn duì míng rén huò gōng zhòng rén wù de guān yú liàn ài ài mèi huò sī shēng huó de chuán wén huò bào dào tōng cháng wèi jīng guān fāng zhèng shí bìng dài yǒu cāi cè chéng fèn

Word origin

The compound combines 绯 (fēi, "crimson") with 闻 (wén, "news or hearsay"), using the color's romantic association to narrow circulating news to a public figure's love life or private affairs.

Usage tips

  • In headlines, it serves as a compact noun for a relationship story, while surrounding verbs often show whether the story is merely circulating or being denied.

Other meanings

  • scandalnoun
  • rumornoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word