閒話 / 闲话
xiánhuá
In Chinese, gossip is expressed as 閒話 / 闲话 (xiánhuá). Wiktionary also lists 山海經 / 山海经 (shānhǎijīng) and 寒暄 (hánxuān).
Meaning: idle talk (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 閒話 / 闲话 | xiánhuá |
| 山海經 / 山海经 | shānhǎijīng |
| 寒暄 | hánxuān |
The term 閒話 / 闲话 refers to idle talk as a noun. Related verbs include 說閒話 / 说闲话, which means to talk about someone else's private or personal business and 說閒聊 / 说闲聊, which means to talk idly.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 閒話 / 闲话 is composed of 閒 (idle/leisure) and 話 (talk/speech).
Which one should you use?
While 閒話 / 闲话 refers to the noun 'idle talk', the slang term 八卦 (bāguà) is more commonly used as a verb to mean 'to gossip' or as a noun to mean 'gossip/juicy information'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To use 閒話 / 闲话 as a verb meaning 'to gossip', you must add the verb 說 (shuō), resulting in 說閒話 / 说闲话.
How do you pronounce it?
xiánhuá
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not confuse 閒話 / 闲话 (xiánhuá – idle talk/gossip) with 寒暄 (hánxuān – exchanging pleasantries), as the latter refers to polite social greetings rather than idle gossip.
Did you know?
- The term 八卦 (bāguà) for 'gossip' originates from a divination system used to predict the future by analyzing different patterns of reality. Today, it describes the act of digging for 'secrets' in a similar way to how ancient seers sought hidden truths.
- While 八卦 (bāguà) is a noun for 'gossip', it is also used as an adjective to describe a person who is 'nosy' or overly curious about others' lives. Calling someone 八卦 describes their personality rather than just a specific conversation.
- The word 閒話 (xiánhuá) can be used to describe 'unnecessary words' in the context of a scolding or a lecture. In this sense, it refers to words that are redundant or superfluous rather than just 'idle' chatter.
Examples in context
- 最近听说他们的关系比较暧昧，你有听说吗？I recently heard that their relationship is somewhat ambiguous. Have you heard anything about it?
- 刚刚我在社交媒体上看到一个八卦I just saw a piece of gossip on social media recently
Sources
- Wiktionary, “gossip” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
