Chinese Conversation · Level 13
90 words
Chinese word
闲聊
Pronunciation
Pinyinxián liáo
Meaning
- verbchat
Example
我们晚上常常闲聊到很晚。wǒ men wǎn shàng cháng cháng xián liáo dào hěn wǎn
We often chat until late at night.
More examples
她喜欢和同事闲聊，缓解工作压力。tā xǐ huān hé tóng shì xián liáo huán jiě gōng zuò yā lì
She likes to chat with colleagues to relieve work stress.
Core concept
Easy talk that keeps people company and passes time without a serious subject.
Common phrases
和朋友闲聊hé péng yǒu xián liáo
chat with friends
和同事闲聊hé tóng shì xián liáo
chat with colleagues
闲聊家常xián liáo jiā cháng
chat about everyday matters
Similar words
聊天liáo tiān: Chat informally with friends or others to spend time in a relaxed way.
闲谈xián tán: Make light small talk about everyday matters without a particular purpose.
说话shuō huà: Use spoken words to express thoughts or pass on information.
Definition in Chinese
指在有闲暇时用轻松的语气谈话，不强调内容的重要性，侧重交流和消磨时间。zhǐ zài yǒu xián xiá shí yòng qīng sōng de yǔ qì tán huà bù qiáng diào nèi róng de zhòng yào xìng cè zhòng jiāo liú hé xiāo mó shí jiān
Word origin
闲 (xián, "free") + 聊 (liáo, "talk") joins the idea of having spare time with the act of talking, which explains its casual social sense.
Usage tips
- As a verb, it can describe an activity that continues for a while, so duration expressions often show how long the conversation lasts.
Other meanings
- chatternoun
- small talknoun
Opposites
- 认真讨论rèn zhēn tǎo lùnhave a serious discussionverb
- 严肃交谈yán sù jiāo tánhave a serious conversationverb