抵掌而谈 — “To talk congenially and intimately”

抵掌而谈 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to talk congenially and intimately”. To chat happily and frankly, often with animated gestures. Literally, “To talk with palms touching/clapping while talking”.

Frequency

抵掌而谈 Pronunciation and Pinyin

抵掌而谈 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
抵	dǐ	8	resist, arrive, substitute
掌	zhǎng	12	palm, in charge, slap
而	ér	6	and, but, then
谈	tán	10	talk, discuss, converse

Example Sentence with 抵掌而谈

晚餐后，几位老朋友围坐在一起，抵掌而谈，回忆着往昔的趣事。

After dinner, several old friends sat together, chatting congenially and intimately, reminiscing about the interesting things from the past.

Origin and Story of 抵掌而谈

During the Warring States period, Su Qin traveled to the State of Qin to persuade King Huiwen to adopt the 'Lianheng' (horizontal alliance) strategy, but his efforts were unsuccessful. He then returned to his hometown, Luoyang, and immersed himself in the study of military tactics.

A year later, he paid a visit to the King of Zhao. There, he engaged in a very congenial and intimate conversation with the King, earnestly advocating his 'Hezong' (vertical alliance) proposal. The King of Zhao was greatly pleased and subsequently bestowed upon Su Qin the title of Lord Wu'an, appointing him as prime minister, and together they deliberated on the strategy for a vertical alliance among the six states.