談空說有

Chinese

		to speak; to talk; to converse to speak; to talk; to converse; to chat; to discuss; surname	emptied; leisure; air emptied; leisure; air; sky; empty; in vain	to speak; to say; persuade (politically)	to have; there is; there are to have; there is; there are; to exist; to be
trad. (談空說有)		談	空	說	有
simp. (谈空说有)		谈	空	说	有

Etymology

From Su Shi's poem 《寄吳德仁兼簡陳季常》 ("Poem sent for Wu Deren and for Chen Jichang as well") (translation from Qiu, 2013):

• 龍丘居士亦可憐，
  談空說有夜不眠，
  忽聞河東獅子吼，
  柱杖落手心茫然。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]

  ---

  龙丘居士亦可怜，
  谈空说有夜不眠，
  忽闻河东狮子吼，
  柱杖落手心茫然。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

  Lóngqiū jūshì yì kělián,
  Tán kōng shuō yǒu yè bùmián,
  Hū wén hédōng shīzǐ hǒu,
  Zhù zhàng luò shǒu xīn mángrán. [Pinyin]

  The lay practitioner of Dragon Hill is also pitiful,
  he stays up discoursing on emptiness and fullness all night long.
  Suddenly he hears a lion’s roar from east-of-the river,
  the cane drops from his hand, he is at a loss.

Originally meaning "to discuss non-existence and existence → to discuss Buddhist doctrines", it then underwent semantic pejoration to "gossip, idle talk, empty talk".

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): tánkōngshuōyǒu

  (Zhuyin): ㄊㄢˊ ㄎㄨㄥ ㄕㄨㄛ ㄧㄡˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): taam⁴ hung¹ syut³ jau⁵

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: tánkōngshuōyǒu
    • Zhuyin: ㄊㄢˊ ㄎㄨㄥ ㄕㄨㄛ ㄧㄡˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: tánkongshuoyǒu
    • Wade–Giles: tʻan²-kʻung¹-shuo¹-yu³
    • Yale: tán-kūng-shwō-yǒu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tarnkongshuoyeou
    • Palladius: танькуншою (tanʹkunšoju)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰän³⁵ kʰʊŋ⁵⁵ ʂu̯ɔ⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: taam⁴ hung¹ syut³ jau⁵
    • Yale: tàahm hūng syut yáuh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: taam⁴ hung¹ syt⁸ jau⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: tam⁴ hung¹ xud³ yeo⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰaːm²¹ hʊŋ⁵⁵ syːt̚³ jɐu̯¹³/

---

• Middle Chinese: dam khuwng sywet hjuwX

Rime
Character	談	空	說	有
Reading #	1/1	1/2	3/3	1/1
Initial (聲)	定 (7)	溪 (29)	書 (26)	云 (35)
Final (韻)	談 (143)	東 (1)	薛 (82)	尤 (136)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)	Checked (Ø)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open	Closed	Open
Division (等)	I	I	III	III
Fanqie	徒甘切	苦紅切	失爇切	云久切
Baxter	dam	khuwng	sywet	hjuwX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/dɑm/	/kʰuŋ/	/ɕiuᴇt̚/	/ɦɨuX/
Pan Wuyun	/dɑm/	/kʰuŋ/	/ɕʷiɛt̚/	/ɦiuX/
Shao Rongfen	/dɑm/	/kʰuŋ/	/ɕjuæt̚/	/ɣiəuX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/dam/	/kʰəwŋ/	/ɕwiat̚/	/ɦuwX/
Li Rong	/dɑm/	/kʰuŋ/	/ɕiuɛt̚/	/ɣiuX/
Wang Li	/dɑm/	/kʰuŋ/	/ɕĭuɛt̚/	/ɣĭəuX/
Bernard Karlgren	/dʱɑm/	/kʰuŋ/	/ɕi̯wɛt̚/	/i̯ə̯uX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	tán	kōng	shuo	yǒu
Expected Cantonese Reflex	taam4	hung1	syut3	jau5

Idiom

談空說有

1. gossip, idle talk, empty talk