论 lún / lùn — the Analects (of Confucius); by the; per; discuss; theory; to talk (about)
同学们正在讨论这个问题。Tóng xué men zhèng zài tǎo lùn zhè ge wèn tí.The classmates are discussing this question.
Common words: 讨论 (tǎo lùn)、理论 (lǐ lùn)、不论 (bù lùn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "discuss"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "discuss", including 论 (lún / lùn), 议 (yì), 辩 (biàn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "discuss" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 论 (lún / lùn), 议 (yì), 辩 (biàn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span lún, lùn, yì, biàn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 论 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 论 lún / lùnthe Analects (of Confucius); by the; per; discuss; theory; to talk (about)Useful words: 讨论, 理论
- 议 yìcriticize; discussUseful words: 建议, 会议
- 辩 biàndispute; debate; argue; discussUseful words: 辩论, 辩护
Common words for these 3 "discuss" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 论 (lún / lùn) — so "discuss" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
讨论tǎo lùnto discuss; to talk over理论lǐ lùntheory; to argue; to take notice of不论bù lùnwhatever; no matter what (who, how etc); regardless of; not to discuss建议jiàn yìto propose; to suggest; to recommend; proposal会议huì yìmeeting; conference议论yì lùnto comment; to talk about; to discuss; discussion辩论biàn lùndebate; argument; to argue over辩护biàn hùto speak in defense of; to argue in favor of; to defend; to plead辩解biàn jiěto explain; to justify; to defend (a point of view etc); to provide an explanation
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "discuss".
议 yì — criticize; discuss
大家正在开会讨论这个建议。Dà jiā zhèng zài kāi huì tǎo lùn zhè ge jiàn yì.Everyone is in a meeting discussing this proposal.
Common words: 建议 (jiàn yì)、会议 (huì yì)、议论 (yì lùn)
辩 biàn — dispute; debate; argue; discuss
同学们正在台上激烈地辩论。Tóng xué men zhèng zài tái shàng jī liè de biàn lùn.The students are debating fiercely on stage.
Common words: 辩论 (biàn lùn)、辩护 (biàn hù)、辩解 (biàn jiě)
All 3 characters
Open 论、议、辩 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.