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能言善辯

简能言善辩 · 繁能言善辯

Mandarin · pinyin néng yán shàn biàn

glib of tongue (idiom)
eloquent

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Characters in this entry

能: néng · to be able; can, permitted to; ability
言: yán · words, speech; speak, say; Kangxi radical 149
善: shàn · good, virtuous, charitable, kind
辯: Look up this written character
辩: biàn · dispute, argue, debate, discuss

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

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Mandarin tones

2–2–4–4 · neng2 yan2 shan4 bian4

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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.

能言善辯 · find source passages ↗ · 能言善辩 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) to be eloquent; to be articulate; to have the gift of the gab

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

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