人言可畏

Chinese

		what people are saying; words, speech	dreadful; horrible; formidable
simp. and trad. (人言可畏)		人言	可畏

Etymology

From the Classic of Poetry, poem 76 (《詩經·鄭風·將仲子》):

仲可懷也，人之多言，亦可畏也。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

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仲可怀也，人之多言，亦可畏也。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Zhòng kě huái yě, rén zhī duō yán, yì kěwèi yě. [Pinyin]

You, O Zhong, are to be loved,
But the talk of people, Is also to be feared.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): rényánkěwèi

  (Zhuyin): ㄖㄣˊ ㄧㄢˊ ㄎㄜˇ ㄨㄟˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jan⁴ jin⁴ ho² wai³

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: rényánkěwèi
    • Zhuyin: ㄖㄣˊ ㄧㄢˊ ㄎㄜˇ ㄨㄟˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: rényánkěwèi
    • Wade–Giles: jên²-yen²-kʻo³-wei⁴
    • Yale: rén-yán-kě-wèi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: renyankeewey
    • Palladius: жэньянькэвэй (žɛnʹjanʹkɛvɛj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʐən³⁵ jɛn³⁵ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jan⁴ jin⁴ ho² wai³
    • Yale: yàhn yìhn hó wai
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jan⁴ jin⁴ ho² wai³
    • Guangdong Romanization: yen⁴ yin⁴ ho² wei³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐn²¹ jiːn²¹ hɔː³⁵ wɐi̯³³/

Idiom

人言可畏

1. gossip is a fearful thing