a few words; fragmentary speech
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
a few words; a sentence or two; fragmentary speech
literaryOften used to indicate that someone spoke very little, or that only fragments of a conversation were overheard or recorded. Typically used in literary or formal contexts.
Tā他
zhī只
yán言
piàn片
yǔ语
de地
jiě解
shì释
le了
yī一
xià下
jiù就
lí离
kāi开
le了
。
He explained briefly with just a few words and then left.
Cóng从
lín邻
jū居
de的
zhī只
yán言
piàn片
yǔ语
zhōng中
，
wǒ我
liǎo了
jiě解
dào到
shì事
qíng情
de的
dà大
gài概
。
From the neighbors' fragmentary remarks, I got a general idea of what happened.
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Lǎo老
rén人
zhī只
yán言
piàn片
yǔ语
，
bù不
yuàn愿
duō多
tán谈
wǎng往
shì事
。
The old man spoke only a few words and was unwilling to talk much about the past.
Zhè这
xiē些
zhī只
yán言
piàn片
yǔ语
hěn很
nán难
zuò作
wéi为
fǎ法
tíng庭
shàng上
de的
yǒu有
xiào效
zhèng证
jù据
。
These few isolated words can hardly serve as valid evidence in court.