語焉不詳

Chinese

		speech; language; dialect speech; language; dialect; tell to	where; how	not; no	detailed; comprehensive
trad. (語焉不詳)		語	焉	不	詳
simp. (语焉不详)		语	焉	不	详

Etymology

Coined by Han Yu in a critical article given below

荀與揚也，擇焉而不精，語焉而不詳。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
荀与扬也，择焉而不精，语焉而不详。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: c. early 9th century, Han Yu (韓愈),《原道》, translated into English as True Faith of a Confucianist by Herbert Allen Giles, 1922.

Xún yǔ Yáng yě, zé yān ér bù jīng, yǔ yān ér bù xiáng. [Pinyin]

Then followed the heterodox schools of Hsün and Yang, wherein much that was essential was passed over, while the criterion was vaguely formulated.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yǔyānbùxiáng

  (Zhuyin): ㄩˇ ㄧㄢ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jyu⁵ jin⁴ bat¹ coeng⁴

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yǔyānbùxiáng
    • Zhuyin: ㄩˇ ㄧㄢ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yǔyanbùsiáng
    • Wade–Giles: yü³-yen¹-pu⁴-hsiang²
    • Yale: yǔ-yān-bù-syáng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yeuianbushyang
    • Palladius: юйяньбусян (jujjanʹbusjan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /y²¹⁴⁻²¹ jɛn⁵⁵ pu⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jyu⁵ jin⁴ bat¹ coeng⁴
    • Yale: yúh yìhn bāt chèuhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jy⁵ jin⁴ bat⁷ tsoeng⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: yu⁵ yin⁴ bed¹ cêng⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jyː¹³ jiːn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰœːŋ²¹/

Idiom

語焉不詳

1. to speak or mention in an undetailed manner