Possibly borrowed from English gossip , according to a common folk etymology which certain linguists concur with.
Alternatively, a native word: 茄 (2 ga , “to prattle”) is found in various parts of suburban Shanghai, such as Zhenru and Xinzhuang . This meaning can be assumed to be have come from clipping from compounds such as 茄嘴皮 .
The 山河 part then may be a term referring to an unspecified topic, cf. 談天說地 / 谈天说地 (tántiānshuōdì ) or 聊天 (liáotiān ).
茄山河
( Shanghainese ) to chat
( especially Suburban Shanghainese ) 茄河
Dialectal synonyms of
閒談 (“to chat”)
[map]
Variety
Location
Words
Formal (Written Standard Chinese )
聊 , 閒談 , 聊天 , 談天 , 閒聊 , 攀談 , 扯
Northeastern Mandarin
Beijing
聊天兒 , 拉呱 , 拉呱兒 , 嘮嗑兒 , 扯句兒
Taiwan
聊天
Chifeng
聊天 , 嘮嗑兒
Hulunbuir (Hailar)
聊天兒 , 嘮嗑兒
Harbin
閒拉 , 閒扯 , 嘮嗑兒
Shenyang
聊天兒 , 嘮嗑兒 , 嘮嗑 , 閒扯 , 瞎聊
Singapore
談天
Jilu Mandarin
Tianjin
搭咯
Tangshan
聊天兒 , 談天
Cangzhou
聊天兒 , 談天兒 , 閒扯 , 瞎聊 , 說閒話兒
Baoding
聊天兒 , 說話兒
Shijiazhuang
談天
Jinan
拉呱兒 , 拉拉 , 拉 , 聊天兒
Jiaoliao Mandarin
Yantai (Muping)
拉呱兒
Qingdao
拉呱 , 拉呱兒
Central Plains Mandarin
Luoyang
談天兒 , 聊天兒 , 說閒話兒 , 扯卵蛋 , 拍話兒
Wanrong
閒諞
Zhengzhou
說閒話兒
Xi'an
聊天兒 , 談天兒 , 閒扯 , 瞎聊 , 拉閒話 , 諞閒傳 , 諞
Xining
喧話 , 喧板 , 諞傳 , 諞 , 扯雜 , 扯乾蛋
Xuzhou
聊天兒 , 拉呱兒 , 閒侃 , 閒扯
Lanyin Mandarin
Yinchuan
扯磨 , 諞閒傳 , 𠷨 , 閒諞
Lanzhou
聊天 , 扯閒談 , 喧官 , 諞傳 , 諞閒傳 , 諞乾傳 , 閒諞 , 諞
Ürümqi
閒扯 , 喧荒 , 閒諞 , 諞傳子 , 諞 , 喧
Southwestern Mandarin
Chengdu
擺龍門陣 , 擺談 , 擺 , 衝殼子 , 吹殼子
Chongqing
吹牛兒 , 擺龍門陣 , 吹空老靠
Wuhan
談天 , 閒扯 , 談家常 , 聒天 , 閒聒
Guiyang
擺龍門陣 , 衝殼子 , 吹殼子 , 衝牛殼 , 吹牛殼 , 吹牛 , 閒扯
Kunming
聊天 , 談天 , 扯閒 , 衝殼子 , 譜賓白
Guilin
扯談 , 談板路 , 扯板路 , 聒聊天
Liuzhou
聒聊天 , 扯大炮 , 傾偈 , 聊天 , 扯淡 , 講嘴
Jianghuai Mandarin
Nanjing
聊天 , 閒扯 , 聒白 , 聒聒 , 聒聒白 , 拉呱 , 吹
Yangzhou
聊天 , 談天 , 談心 , 閒扯 , 吹牛 , 吹 , 沰談話
Nantong
聊天 , 講閒話 , 閒談 , 扯呱
Hefei
閒談 , 聒淡 , 聒聒
Cantonese
Guangzhou
傾偈 , 打牙骹 , 黐牙音
Hong Kong
傾偈 , 打牙骹 , 吹水
Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)
打牙交
Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)
傾偈
Hong Kong (Ting Kok)
傾偈
Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)
傾偈 , 打牙骹
Macau
傾偈
Guangzhou (Panyu)
傾偈
Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)
傾偈
Guangzhou (Conghua)
傾偈
Guangzhou (Zengcheng)
傾偈 , 打牙骹
Foshan
傾偈
Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)
講時聞 , 傾偈
Foshan (Shunde)
傾偈
Foshan (Sanshui)
傾偈
Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)
傾偈
Zhongshan (Shiqi)
傾偈
Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)
傾偈
Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)
傾偈
Zhuhai (Doumen)
傾偈
Jiangmen (Baisha)
傾偈
Jiangmen (Xinhui)
傾偈
Taishan
傾偈
Kaiping (Chikan)
傾偈
Enping (Niujiang)
傾偈
Heshan (Yayao)
傾偈
Dongguan
傾偈 , 打牙骹
Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)
傾偈 , 打牙骹
Yangjiang
講嘴 , 傾偈 , 傾
Xinyi
傾
Nanning
傾偈
Wuzhou
傾偈
Yulin
傾偈 , 車大炮
Hepu (Lianzhou)
傾偈 , 傾低 , 車大炮
Beihai
傾偈 , 傾一傾
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)
傾偈
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)
傾
Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)
傾偈
Singapore (Guangfu)
傾偈
Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)
傾偈
Móng Cái
傾偈
Gan
Nanchang
談坨 , 談天
Lichuan
話閒事 , 學事
Pingxiang
打閒講
Hakka
Meixian
閒談 , 講閒談 , 講牙蛇
Xingning
講閒談
Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)
傾偈
Huiyang
打牙花
Huidong (Daling)
講閒話
Dongguan (Qingxi)
打牙骹
Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)
打牙花
Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)
傾偈
Wuhua (Shuizhai)
閒尞
Wuhua (Huacheng)
講閒談 , 講仙天
Wuhua (Changbu)
講閒談
Wuhua (Mianyang)
閒談
Wuhua (Meilin)
喥牙談 , 講嘴哩
Shaoguan (Qujiang)
講閒談
Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang)
閒談
Changting
講閒談
Wuping
講閒談
Wuping (Pingyu)
講閒談
Ninghua
聊天
Yudu
吵天 , 打吱喳
Ruijin
嘈閒天
Shicheng
談閒天
Shangyou (Shexi)
講閒天
Miaoli (N. Sixian)
打嘴鼓 , 譫哆
Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)
打嘴鼓 , 譫哆
Pingtung (Wuluo, Ligang; S. Sixian)
打嘴鼓
Kaohsiung (Meinong; S. Sixian)
打嘴鼓
Kaohsiung (Shanlin; S. Sixian)
打嘴鼓 , 閒談
Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)
打嘴鼓 , 譫哆
Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)
打嘴鼓 , 譫哆
Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)
打嘴鼓 , 譫哆
Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)
答嘴鼓 , 答詑
Hong Kong
講水古
Luchuan (Daqiao)
車大炮
Sabah (Longchuan)
傾偈 , 車大炮
Singkawang
尞
Huizhou
Jixi
談天 , 聒談
Shexian
談天 , 談心
Jin
Taiyuan
倒楔
Xinzhou
閒扯 , 圪扯 , 閒叨拉 , 閒拍達 , 閒拉呱 , 叨拉 , 拍達 , 拉呱 , 胡叨拉
Linhe
拉話 , 閒拍
Jining
瞎聊
Hohhot
搗拉 , 拉呱
Zhangjiakou
拉閒話
Handan
聊天兒 , 談天
Northern Min
Jian'ou
冇講 , 講故事
Eastern Min
Fuzhou
攀講 , 講症
Fuqing
攀講
Matsu
攀講
Southern Min
Xiamen
冇談 , 練仙 , 答喙鼓 , 拍喙鼓 , 觸喙鼓 , 拍拉涼 , 敲嘓 , 練牙 , 練㾪牙 , 練㾪話 , 練戇話 , 喝仙
Xiamen (Tong'an)
喝仙
Quanzhou
冇談 , 練仙 , 答喙鼓 , 拍喙鼓 , 敲嘓 , 練㾪話 , 喝仙
Jinjiang
講古
Zhangzhou
練仙 , 答喙鼓 , 拍喙鼓 , 觸喙鼓 , 敲嘓 , 練牙 , 練㾪話 , 喝仙
Zhao'an
拍嘓 , 設潲
Taipei
開講 , 答喙鼓 , 敲虎𡳞
New Taipei (Sanxia)
破豆 , 開講 , 答喙鼓 , 畫虎𡳞
Kaohsiung
破豆 , 開講 , 答喙鼓 , 畫虎𡳞
Yilan
開講 , 畫虎𡳞
Changhua (Lukang)
畫虎𡳞
Taichung
開講 , 破豆
Tainan
開講 , 畫虎𡳞
Hsinchu
開講
Kinmen
答喙鼓 , 開講
Penghu (Magong)
開講 , 畫虎𡳞
Penang (Hokkien)
傾偈
Singapore (Hokkien)
敲嘓 , 傾偈
Manila (Hokkien)
講古
Pingnan (Shangdu)
傾偈
Chaozhou
詖閒話
Shantou
詖話 , 䛩奅
Jieyang
詖話
Haifeng
拍法
Singapore (Teochew)
敲嘓 , 詖涼詖熱
Leizhou
講四方 , 講善喻 , 傾談
Zhongshan Min
Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)
傾偈
Southern Pinghua
Nanning (Tingzi)
傾偈
Northern Pinghua
Guilin (Dahe)
聊天
Wu
Shanghai
講張 , 茄山河 , 講閒話
Shanghai (Chongming)
講神
Suzhou
講張
Wuxi
扯 , 扯老空
Danyang
談閒
Hangzhou
談天
Ningbo
講大道 , 講聊天 , 談山海經
Wenzhou
講閒談
Jinhua
談天
Jinhua (Tangxi)
講白搭
Xiang
Changsha
扯閒談 , 扯談 , 扯經 , 扯粟殼
Xiangtan
扯談
Loudi
談天 , 談平 , 打講 , 打平講 , 扯談
Shuangfeng
扯談 , 打講
Quanzhou
談白 , 聊天