Chinese word

谎言

Pronunciation

Pinyinhuǎng yán

Meaning

  • nounlie

Example

他的故事都是谎言。tā de gù shì dōu shì huǎng yán

His story is all lies.

Illustration for 谎言 (lie)

More examples

被揭露的谎言损害了他的名誉。bèi jiē lù de huǎng yán sǔn hài le tā de míng yù

The lie that was exposed damaged his reputation.

Core concept

Words that replace facts with an invented version in order to mislead someone.

Common phrases

  • 编造谎言biān zào huǎng yán

    make up lies

  • 揭露谎言jiē lù huǎng yán

    expose lies

  • 承认谎言chéng rèn huǎng yán

    admit lies

Similar words

假话jiǎ huà: An untrue claim about something that did not happen, said as if it did.

Definition in Chinese

故意捏造、不符合事实的话或说法，用来欺骗或误导他人。gù yì niē zào bù fú hé shì shí de huà huò shuō fǎ yòng lái qī piàn huò wù dǎo tā rén

Word origin

谎言 (huǎngyán, "lie") is formed from 谎 (huǎng, "falsehood") + 言 (yán, "speech"), so its structure points directly to speech that is not true.

Usage tips

  • The word often sounds accusatory when applied to someone's words, so it suits clear criticism more than a neutral report about an inaccurate claim.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word