DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

侃侃而談

简侃侃而谈 · 繁侃侃而談

Mandarin · pinyin kǎn kǎn ér tán

to speak frankly with assurance

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

侃: kǎn · upright and strong; amiable
而: ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
談: tán · talk; conversation; surname
谈: tán · talk; conversation; surname

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

3–3–2–2 · kan3 kan3 er2 tan2

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

4character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

侃侃而談 · find source passages ↗ · 侃侃而谈 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

hon2 hon2 ji4 taam4

Cantonese word readings for 侃侃而談. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to speak frankly and in measured tones

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack