談何容易

See also: 谈何容易

Chinese

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): tánhéróngyì

  (Zhuyin): ㄊㄢˊ ㄏㄜˊ ㄖㄨㄥˊ ㄧˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): taam⁴ ho⁴ jung⁴ ji⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: tánhéróngyì
    • Zhuyin: ㄊㄢˊ ㄏㄜˊ ㄖㄨㄥˊ ㄧˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: tánhéróngyì
    • Wade–Giles: tʻan²-ho²-jung²-i⁴
    • Yale: tán-hé-rúng-yì
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tarnherrongyih
    • Palladius: таньхэжунъи (tanʹxɛžunʺi)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰän³⁵ xɤ³⁵ ʐʊŋ³⁵ i⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: taam⁴ ho⁴ jung⁴ ji⁶
    • Yale: tàahm hòh yùhng yih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: taam⁴ ho⁴ jung⁴ ji⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: tam⁴ ho⁴ yung⁴ yi⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰaːm²¹ hɔː²¹ jʊŋ²¹ jiː²²/

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• Middle Chinese: dam ha yowng yeH

Rime
Character	談	何	容	易
Reading #	1/1	1/2	1/1	1/2
Initial (聲)	定 (7)	匣 (33)	以 (36)	以 (36)
Final (韻)	談 (143)	歌 (94)	鍾 (7)	支 (11)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open	Open	Open
Division (等)	I	I	III	III
Fanqie	徒甘切	胡歌切	餘封切	以豉切
Baxter	dam	ha	yowng	yeH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/dɑm/	/ɦɑ/	/jɨoŋ/	/jiᴇH/
Pan Wuyun	/dɑm/	/ɦɑ/	/jioŋ/	/jiɛH/
Shao Rongfen	/dɑm/	/ɣɑ/	/ioŋ/	/jɛH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/dam/	/ɦa/	/juawŋ/	/jiə̆H/
Li Rong	/dɑm/	/ɣɑ/	/ioŋ/	/ieH/
Wang Li	/dɑm/	/ɣɑ/	/jĭwoŋ/	/jǐeH/
Bernard Karlgren	/dʱɑm/	/ɣɑ/	/i̯woŋ/	/ie̯H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	tán	hé	yóng	yì
Expected Cantonese Reflex	taam4	ho4	jung4	ji6

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*l'aːm  ɡaːl  loŋ  leːɡs/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	談	何	容	易
Reading #	1/1	1/2	1/1	1/2
No.	14292	7458	4284	15029
Phonetic component	炎	可	谷	易
Rime group	談	歌	東	賜
Rime subdivision	1	1	0	0
Corresponding MC rime	談	何	容	易
Old Chinese	/*l'aːm/	/*ɡaːl/	/*loŋ/	/*leːɡs/
Notes			說文古文從公， 小徐作谷聲

Etymology 1

		to speak; to talk; to converse to speak; to talk; to converse; to chat; to discuss; surname	rhetorical construct signifying emphasis in the negative; not tolerated; unacceptable	easy; simple
trad. (談何容易)		談	何容	易
simp. (谈何容易)		谈	何容	易

Phrase

談何容易

1. (chiefly obsolete) it is no easy matter to give good advice (especially to one's superior); to speak is difficult

   • 先生曰：「於戲，可乎哉？可乎哉？談何容易！」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     先生曰：「於戏，可乎哉？可乎哉？谈何容易！」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Han, circa 1^st century CE

     Xiānshēng yuē: “Wūhū, kě hū zāi? Kě hū zāi? Tán héróng yì!” [Pinyin]

     "Alas! May I? I may not! Speeches to one's superior — those easily given will never be accepted!" said Mister Nobody.

   • 賈生有言：「懇言則辭淺而不入，深言則逆耳而失指。」故曰：「談何容易。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     贾生有言：「恳言则辞浅而不入，深言则逆耳而失指。」故曰：「谈何容易。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: p. 73 BCE, Huan Kuan (桓寬) (editor). Discourses on Salt and Iron (《鹽鐵論》).

     Gǔshēng yǒu yán: “Kěnyán zé cíqiǎn ér bùrù, shēnyán zé nì'ěr ér shīzhǐ.” Gù yuē: “Tán héróng yì.” [Pinyin]

     Jia Yi said: "Cordial speech tends to be superficial and fails to make an impact, but a penetrating comment grates on the ear and fails to deliver." Hence the saying, "no place for speech made at ease."

Etymology 2

		to speak; to talk; to converse to speak; to talk; to converse; to chat; to discuss; surname	carry; what; how carry; what; how; why; which	easy; simple; likely easy; simple; likely; liable; prone
trad. (談何容易)		談	何	容易
simp. (谈何容易)		谈	何	容易
Rebracketing of Etymology 1.

Idiom

談何容易

1. easier said than done