DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

輕聲細語

简轻声细语 · 繁輕聲細語

Mandarin · pinyin qīng shēng xì yǔ

to speak softly
to whisper (idiom)

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

輕: qīng · light; easy, simple; gentle
聲: shēng · sound, voice, noise; tone; music
細: xì · fine, tiny; slender, thin
語: Look up this written character
轻: qīng · light; easy, simple; gentle
声: shēng · sound, voice, noise; tone; music
细: xì · fine, tiny; slender, thin
语: yǔ · language, words; saying, expression

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

1–1–4–3 · qing1 sheng1 xi4 yu3

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

7character 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.

輕聲細語 · find source passages ↗ · 轻声细语 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

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 speak softly; to whisper

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

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