谈话

• Pinyin: tán huà
• Hanzi breakdown: 谈 = 讠 (speech) + 炎 (flame, phonetic); 话 = 讠 (speech) + 舌 (tongue)

Meaning

To have a talk; conversation. Refers to a somewhat formal or purposeful verbal exchange between people.

Implies a more structured or serious conversation than casual chatting. Often used in workplace, educational, or official contexts: 领导找他谈话 (the leader called him in for a talk). Can function as both a verb and a noun.

Examples

1. 老师想和你谈话。 The teacher wants to have a talk with you.
2. 他们的谈话进行了两个小时。 Their conversation lasted two hours.
3. 领导经常和员工谈话了解情况。 The manager often talks with employees to understand the situation.

Usage Guide

Context: workplace, education, official

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 校长要找你谈话。(The principal wants to talk with you.)
• 我们的谈话很愉快。(Our conversation was very pleasant.)

Don't Say

• 我和朋友谈话了一个笑话。(Don't use 谈话 with a direct object like 笑话 — 谈话 is an intransitive verb meaning 'to have a conversation'. Say 聊了一个笑话 instead.)

Origin & History

谈 (talk) + 话 (words/speech). A compound of two speech-related characters emphasising verbal exchange.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal