话题

• Pinyin: huà tí
• Hanzi breakdown: 话 = 讠 (speech radical) + 舌 (tongue); 题 = 页 (page/head) + 是 (phonetic), meaning topic or title

Meaning

Topic; subject of conversation. A theme or subject that people discuss or talk about.

Used for both casual conversation topics and formal discussion subjects. Common collocations include 换话题 (change the subject), 热门话题 (hot topic), and 敏感话题 (sensitive topic). It can also refer to trending topics on social media.

Examples

1. 我们换一个话题吧。 Let's change the subject.
2. 环保是现在最热门的话题。 Environmental protection is the hottest topic right now.
3. 他总是能找到有趣的话题。 He can always find interesting topics to talk about.

Usage Guide

Context: conversation, media, everyday

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 这个话题很有意思。(This topic is very interesting.)
• 我们不要讨论这个话题了。(Let's not discuss this topic anymore.)

Don't Say

• 今天的话题是关于了学习。(Don't add 了 after 关于 — say 今天的话题是关于学习 or 今天的话题是关于学习的.)

Origin & History

Compound of 话 (speech, conversation) and 题 (topic, subject, question). Literally 'speech-subject,' meaning something to talk about.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal