maan6 taam4漫談漫谈
Jyutpingmaan6 taam4
Yalemaahn tàahm
Definition
To have an informal discussion, or to chat freely and casually about a topic.
neutralcommunication
How it's used
漫談 implies a relaxed, unstructured, and often lengthy conversation that wanders from topic to topic. It carries a slightly intellectual or reflective nuance compared to just chatting, often used when someone is sharing thoughts or experiences without a specific goal. It is frequently seen in titles of articles or talks where the speaker intends to cover a subject broadly rather than exhaustively.
Examples
He always likes to ramble on about life lessons.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 閒談, which is purely casual small talk. 漫談 suggests a more deliberate, albeit rambling, exploration of a topic, whereas 閒談 is just passing time with light conversation.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
