How to Say "Talk About" in Chinese

谈论

tánlùn

To talk about in Chinese is 谈论 (tánlùn).

谈论 is a common and neutral way to express 'talk about' in formal Chinese.

Meaning: Translations (verb)

Which one should you use?

While 谈论 is used for discussing topics or subjects, the verb 聊 is used for casual chatting or gossiping.

tánlùn

If you are talking about gossip, you might use the phrase 八卦 (bāguà), which literally refers to the eight trigrams of ancient Chinese philosophy and divination.
When people 'talk about' someone behind their back in a negative way, they might use the term 嚼舌根, which literally means 'chewing the root of the tongue'.
In professional contexts, 谈论 might be replaced by 磋商, a word that implies a 'rubbing together' of ideas to reach a compromise during a negotiation.

他们到处谈论它。
They talk about it everywhere.
This sentence shows how to use 谈论 to describe talking about something in various places.
Tatoeba #13880557 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #12899429 by rul
我不想谈论这个问题。
I don't want to talk about it.
This sentence shows how to express a desire not to use 谈论 regarding a specific issue.
Tatoeba #10260725 by GlossaMatik, translation #1096472 by CK
谁也不想谈论这事。
No one wanted to talk about it.
This sentence shows the use of 谈论 in a context where no one wants to address a matter.
Tatoeba #1399740 by sirpoot, translation #805310 by Source_VOA
在会议中，大家谈论了环保的重要性。
In the meeting, everyone talked about the importance of environmental protection.
我们明天要讨论这个问题的解决方案。
We will discuss the solution to this problem tomorrow.
下午我们去咖啡店聊聊天吧！
Let's go to the coffee shop and have a chat this afternoon!
3 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two colleagues are chatting during a break.

佳怡 Jiayi

伟，你想谈论那个新项目吗？
Wěi, nǐ xiǎng tánlùn nàge xīn xiàngmù ma?
Wei, do you want to talk about that new project?
伟 Wei

现在不方便谈论这件事。
Xiànzài bù fāngbiàn tánlùn zhè jiàn shì.
It is not convenient to talk about this matter right now.
佳怡 Jiayi

那我们明天再谈论吧。
Nà wǒmen míngtiān zài tánlùn ba.
Then let's talk about it tomorrow.
伟 Wei

没问题，明天见。
Méi wèntí, míngtiān jiàn.
No problem, see you tomorrow.

Sources

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