言辞

• 拼音: yán cí
• 汉字拆解: 言 = 口 (mouth) + horizontal lines (representing sound waves — speech emerging from the mouth); 辞 = 舌 (tongue) + 辛 (hardship/toil — suggesting the labour of careful verbal expression)

含义

Words; verbal expression; the language and manner in which one speaks. Refers to the specific words chosen and the way they are delivered.

Often focuses on the quality, tone, or appropriateness of language: 言辞激烈 (heated/forceful language), 言辞恳切 (sincere words), 言辞犀利 (sharp/incisive language), 言辞模糊 (vague language). Common in formal writing, news reporting, and diplomatic contexts. More focused on specific wording than 言语 (general speech) or 语言 (language as a system).

例句

1. 外交部发言人在例行记者会上措辞谨慎，言辞中既表达了立场的坚定，又保留了进一步协商的余地。
2. 被告在庭上的言辞前后矛盾，多次被法官提示需如实陈述，却始终无法给出令人信服的解释。
3. 他在批评下属时注意把握分寸，言辞中肯而不失尖锐，既指出了问题的实质又保全了对方的面子。

用法指南

语境: diplomacy, law, journalism, rhetoric

语气: neutral

正确说法

• 谈判代表的言辞虽然礼貌克制，但字里行间透露出的强硬立场却使对方感受到了不小的外交压力。(Although the negotiator's words were polite and restrained, the firm stance conveyed between the lines exerted considerable diplomatic pressure on the other party.)
• 这位作家在接受采访时言辞犀利，直接点名批评了当下文坛普遍存在的浮躁风气和商业化倾向。(During the interview, the writer spoke with sharp incisiveness, directly naming and criticising the widespread restlessness and commercial tendency that currently pervades the literary world.)

错误说法

• 他的言辞不够多 — 言辞 refers to the quality and manner of verbal expression, not quantity; for someone who does not talk much say 他话不多 or 他言语不多; 言辞多 is unnatural

起源与历史

言 (speech/word) + 辞 (words/expression/to resign) — the specific words and expressions one chooses in speech

文化背景

时代: Classical/Modern

世代: All ages

社会背景: Educated/professional