Chinese word

说闲话

Pronunciation

Pinyinshuō xián huà

Meaning

  • verbchat

Example

她喜欢跟朋友说闲话。tā xǐ huān gēn péng yǒu shuō xián huà

She likes chatting with her friends.

Illustration for 说闲话 (chat)

More examples

长辈不喜欢孩子们在饭桌上说闲话。zhǎng bèi bù xǐ huān hái zi men zài fàn zhuō shàng shuō xián huà

Older people do not like children chatting at the dinner table.

Core concept

Casual talk that fills a moment with unimportant details, sometimes drifting into talk about other people.

Common phrases

  • 在网上说闲话zài wǎng shàng shuō xián huà

    chat on the internet

  • 背后说闲话bèi hòu shuō xián huà

    gossip behind people's backs

Similar words

聊天liáo tiān: Chatting freely with others as a friendly way to spend time.
闲聊xián liáo: Easygoing conversation with no clear purpose or serious topic.
说人闲话shuō rén xián huà: Speaking negatively about someone when that person is not present.

Definition in Chinese

和别人随意谈论琐碎或无关紧要的事情，侧重于轻松的闲聊，也可用于指讲别人的小道消息。hé bié rén suí yì tán lùn suǒ suì huò wú guān jǐn yào de shì qíng cè zhòng yú qīng sōng de xián liáo yě kě yòng yú zhǐ jiǎng bié rén de xiǎo dào xiāo xī

Word origin

说闲话 (shuōxiánhuà, "talk idly") combines 说 (shuō, "speak") + 闲 (xián, "idle") + 话 (huà, "words"), so its literal structure points to speaking about matters that are not important.

Usage tips

  • In a workplace or formal setting, this expression can sound dismissive because it treats the topic as unimportant, even when the conversation is friendly.

Other meanings

  • gossipverb
  • make small talkverb

Opposites

  • 谈正事tán zhèng shìdiscuss serious mattersverb

Related words

Word lists with this word