谈判
tánpàn · HSK 3
negotiation
🤝 谈 = speak/talk + 判 = judge/decide → talks that decide
谈 (tán) means to talk or discuss; 判 (pàn) means to judge or decide a verdict. Together: discussions aimed at reaching a decision — negotiation. The 言 radical in 谈 marks speech; 判 contains 刀 (knife) for cutting a ruling.
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.
判 — half 半 (phonetic) + knife 刂 (semantic)
判 combines 半 'half' with 刂 'knife', literally suggesting cutting something in two. The knife radical gives the meaning of dividing or judging, while 半 provides the sound. From 'splitting apart' it extended to 'discriminate, judge, decide'.