姑妄言之 — “Let me speak presumptuously for a moment”
姑妄言之 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to speak casually or idly, without necessarily asserting something as true or important; to just talk for the sake of talking, without much conviction”. Literally, “Let me speak presumptuously for a moment”.
姑妄言之 Pronunciation and Pinyin
姑妄言之 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 姑妄言之
Origin and Story of 姑妄言之
The Song Dynasty literati Su Shi, who served as an official in Hangzhou in his early years, offended the emperor by writing poems that satirized court affairs and was consequently demoted to Huangzhou.
In his later years, he was demoted again to Danzhou, Hainan.
After arriving in Danzhou, which was remote and desolate, Su Shi often dedicated himself to reading and writing. He would invite friends to "姑妄言之" (just speak idly/casually) and tell jokes. In his later years, he even compiled a collection of jokes called "Aizi".
Idioms Related to 姑妄言之
Antonyms of 姑妄言之
Recommended tools
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →Questions about 姑妄言之
What does 姑妄言之 mean?
姑妄言之 (gū wàng yán zhī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to speak casually or idly, without necessarily asserting something as true or important; to just talk for the sake of talking, without much conviction”.
How do you pronounce 姑妄言之?
姑妄言之 is pronounced gū wàng yán zhī in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 姑妄言之 literally mean?
Literally, 姑妄言之 means “Let me speak presumptuously for a moment”. It is used to mean “to speak casually or idly, without necessarily asserting something as true or important; to just talk for the sake of talking, without much conviction”.
Where does 姑妄言之 come from?
姑妄言之 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 姑妄言之?
姑且随便说说，不一定有什么道理。