Dictionary🇨🇳 Chinese → 🇺🇸 English
Chinese to English Dictionary
官话
guānhuà
Description
官话就是很久以前中国官员说的标准话，也就是现在普通话的来源。
'官话' is the standard language spoken by Chinese officials long ago, which is the origin of today's Mandarin.
有时候，官话也指那些听起来很客气、但是没有真正意思的话。
Sometimes, '官话' also refers to polite-sounding words that don't have real meaning.
Meanings
官话guānhuà
Mandarin; the standard northern Chinese language
他会说官话，也会说方言。
He can speak Mandarin and also dialects.
官话guānhuà
empty official talk; bureaucratic clichés
他只说官话，不说真话。
He only speaks Mandarin, not the truth.
Related words
Notes
- Etymology
官 (official) + 话 (speech), originally the language used by government officials.
- Nuance
the second sense is negative, meaning insincere or evasive formal talk.
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