断言
だんげん · dangen · JLPT N1 · noun
assertion
📢 断言 = 断 (cut, decide firmly) + 言 (word): words that cut off all doubt
断 means to cut or decide firmly, and 言 means speech. A 断言 cuts off debate by stating something flatly, with no hedging. Its firm tone is the point.
断 — thread 㡭 (silk bundle) + axe 斤
Originally written with 㡭 (entangled silk threads) on the left and 斤 (axe) on the right, depicting an axe cutting through bundled threads. From this concrete image of severing came the meanings 'to cut off,' 'to break,' and by extension 'to decide' or 'judge'—as in resolving a matter decisively.