含糊其辞 hán hú qí cí to speak evasively

Explanation

话说得不清不楚,含含糊糊。形容有顾虑,不敢把话照直说出来。

To speak vaguely and unclearly. To describe having concerns and not daring to speak directly.

Origin Story

战国时期,魏国大臣庞涓嫉妒孙膑的才能,屡次陷害孙膑。孙膑为了保全性命,常常含糊其辞,避免与庞涓正面冲突。一次,庞涓设宴款待孙膑,席间旁敲侧击地询问孙膑的军事才能,孙膑深知庞涓的险恶用心,便含糊其辞,以诗歌和典故来回答庞涓的问题,躲避了庞涓的追问,从而巧妙地化解了危机。后来孙膑被庞涓陷害,遭受膑刑,但他依然保持了谨慎的态度,对任何人都含糊其辞,避免泄露自己的想法,最终在齐国得到重用,为齐国取得了很多胜利。

zhànguó shíqī, wèiguó dà chén páng juān jídù sūn bìn de cáinéng, lǚ cì xiàn hài sūn bìn. sūn bìn wèile bǎoquán shēngmìng, chángcháng hán hú qí cí, bìmiǎn yǔ páng juān zhèngmiàn chōngtú. yī cì, páng juān shè yàn kuǎn dài sūn bìn, xí jiān páng qiāo cè jī de xúnwèn sūn bìn de jūnshì cáinéng, sūn bìn shēnzhī páng juān de xiǎn'è yòngxīn, biàn hán hú qí cí, yǐ shīgē hé diǎngù lái huídá páng juān de wèntí, duǒ bì le páng juān de zhuīwèn, cóng'ér qiǎomiào de huàjiě le wēijī. hòulái sūn bìn bèi páng juān xiàn hài, zāoshòu bìn xíng, dàn tā yīrán bǎochí le jǐnshèn de tàidu, duì rènhé rén dōu hán hú qí cí, bìmiǎn xiè lù zìjǐ de xiǎngfǎ, zuìzhōng zài qí guó dédào chóngyòng, wèi qí guó huòdé le hěn duō shènglì

During the Warring States period, Pang Juan, a minister of the Wei state, envied Sun Bin's talent and repeatedly framed him. To protect his life, Sun Bin often spoke vaguely, avoiding direct conflict with Pang Juan. Once, Pang Juan held a banquet for Sun Bin, and during the banquet, he indirectly inquired about Sun Bin's military talent. Sun Bin, knowing Pang Juan's evil intentions, spoke vaguely, answering Pang Juan's questions with poems and allusions, evading Pang Juan's questioning, and cleverly resolving the crisis. Later, Sun Bin was framed by Pang Juan and suffered severe punishment, but he still maintained a cautious attitude, speaking vaguely to everyone to avoid revealing his thoughts. He was eventually reused in the Qi state and achieved many victories for Qi.

Usage

含糊其辞通常用于形容说话含糊不清,不敢直言,多用于负面语境。

hán hú qí cí tōngcháng yòng yú xíngróng shuōhuà hán hú bù qīng, bù gǎn zhíyán, duō yòng yú fùmiàn yǔjìng

"Hán hú qí cí" is usually used to describe speaking vaguely and unclearly, not daring to speak directly, mostly used in negative contexts.

Examples

  • 他含糊其辞地回答了我的问题。

    tā hán hú qí cí de huídá le wǒ de wèntí

    He answered my question vaguely.

  • 面对记者的提问,他含糊其辞,不愿透露更多信息。

    miàn duì jì zhě de tí wèn, tā hán hú qí cí, bù yuàn tòulù gèng duō xìnxī

    He was evasive when questioned by reporters, unwilling to reveal more information.

  • 他的解释含糊其辞,让人难以理解。

    tā de jiěshì hán hú qí cí, ràng rén nán yǐ lǐjiě

    His explanation was vague and difficult to understand.