夸夸其谈
kuā kuā qí tán · HSK 7
to talk big
📢 夸 = boast; doubled 夸夸 + 其谈 (that talk) = brag-brag chatter, all big talk
夸 carries the sense of exaggerate or brag. Doubling it (夸夸) cranks up the boasting, and 其谈 means that talk of his, so the whole phrase paints speech that is loud on claims and empty on substance.
夸 — big 大 + on/in 亏 (phonetic)
夸 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 大 ('big') gives the meaning of exaggeration or grandness, while 亏 supplies the sound. Originally it meant to boast or speak grandly, and it still carries senses of 'brag' and 'praise' in modern Chinese.
夸 — big 大 + on/in 亏 (phonetic)
夸 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 大 ('big') gives the meaning of exaggeration or grandness, while 亏 supplies the sound. Originally it meant to boast or speak grandly, and it still carries senses of 'brag' and 'praise' in modern Chinese.
其 — top 八 + winnowing basket 其 (originally 箕)
Originally a pictograph of a bamboo winnowing basket, now written 箕 with the bamboo radical added on top. The original form 其 was borrowed phonetically to write the pronoun and particle meaning 'his/her/its' or 'that.' This loan use became dominant, so a new character 箕 was created for the basket meaning.
谈 — speech radical 讠 + flame 炎
谈 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 讠 (speech) gives the meaning, indicating something said or discussed. The right side 炎 (flame, blaze) originally suggested the phonetic value and evokes lively, animated talk — like words flowing in conversation.