| 嘴里 | zuǐ lǐ | mouth / in the mouth / on one's lips / speech / words |  |
| 言语 | yán yǔ | words / speech / (spoken) language |  |
| 话语 | huà yǔ | words / speech / utterance / discourse | |
| 言辞 | yán cí | words / expression / what one says | |
| 言谈 | yán tán | discourse / words / utterance / what one says / manner of speech | |
| 笔墨 | bǐ mò | pen and ink / words / writing | |
| 出言 | chū yán | to speak / words | |
| 字句 | zì jù | words / expressions / writing | |
| 一席话 | yī xí huà | the content of a conversation / words / remarks | |
| 唇舌 | chún shé | argument / words / lips and tongue | |
| 之间 | zhī jiān | (after a noun) between / among / amid / (used after certain bisyllabic words to form expressions indicating a short period of time, e.g. 彈指之間|弹指之间[tan2zhi3 zhi1 jian1]) | |
| 也就是 | yě jiù shì | in other words / i.e. | |
| 为止 | wéi zhǐ | until / (used in combination with words like 到[dao4] or 至[zhi4] in constructs of the form 到...為止|到...为止) | |
| 也就是说 | yě jiù shì shuō | in other words / that is to say / so / thus | |
| 字数 | zì shù | number of written characters / number of words / word count | |
| 词汇 | cí huì | vocabulary / list of words (e.g. for language teaching purposes) / word | |
| 两句 | liǎng jù | (say) a few words | |
| 废话 | fèi huà | nonsense / rubbish / superfluous words / You don't say! / No kidding! (gently sarcastic) | |
| 喝道 | hè dào | to shout (i.e. to say in a loud voice) (usually followed by the words shouted) / (old) (of yamen bailiffs etc) to walk ahead of an official, shouting at pedestrians to clear the way | |
| 就是说 | jiù shì shuō | in other words / that is | |
| 字典 | zì diǎn | Chinese character dictionary (containing entries for single characters, contrasted with a 詞典|词典[ci2 dian3], which has entries for words of one or more characters) / (coll.) dictionary / CL:本[ben3] | |
| 用语 | yòng yǔ | choice of words / wording / phraseology / term | |
| 言行 | yán xíng | words and actions / what one says and what one does | |
| 前言 | qián yán | preface / foreword / introduction / preamble / earlier remarks / earlier words / (literary) words of the ancient thinkers | |
| 含蓄 | hán xù | to contain / to hold / (of a person or style etc) reserved / restrained / (of words, writings) full of hidden meaning / implicit / veiled (criticism) | |
| 换句话说 | huàn jù huà shuō | in other words | |
| 自述 | zì shù | to recount in one's own words / autobiography / written self-introduction | |
| 致辞 | zhì cí | to express in words or writing / to make a speech (esp. short introduction, vote of thanks, afterword, funeral homily etc) / to address (an audience) / same as 致詞|致词 | |
| 情话 | qíng huà | terms of endearment / words of love | |
| 心口 | xīn kǒu | pit of the stomach / solar plexus / words and thoughts | |
| 亲口 | qīn kǒu | one's own mouth / fig. in one's own words / to say sth personally | |
| 甜言蜜语 | tián yán mì yǔ | (idiom) sweet words / sweet talk / cajolery | |
| 释义 | shì yì | the meaning of sth / an explanation of the meaning of words or phrases / definition / an interpretation (of doctrine) / religious doctrine | |
| 滔滔不绝 | tāo tāo bù jué | (idiom) to produce a torrent of words / to talk on and on | |
| 好话 | hǎo huà | friendly advice / words spoken on sb's behalf / a good word / kind words / words that sound fine but are not followed up with actions | |
| 换言之 | huàn yán zhī | in other words | |
| 鬼话 | guǐ huà | lie / false words / nonsense / CL:篇[pian1] | |
| 铿锵 | kēng qiāng | sonorous / resounding / fig. resounding words | |
| 字词 | zì cí | letters or words / words or phrase | |
| 词句 | cí jù | words and sentences | |
| 坏话 | huài huà | unpleasant talk / malicious words | |
| 默念 | mò niàn | to read silently / to mouth (the words of a prayer etc) / to say to oneself / to contemplate inwardly | |
| 过火 | guò huǒ | to go too far / to go overboard (in words or actions) / over the top / excessive / burned | |
| 遗言 | yí yán | words of the deceased / last words of the dying / wisdom of past sages | |
| 语重心长 | yǔ zhòng xīn cháng | meaningful and heartfelt words (idiom) / sincere and earnest wishes | |
| 粗口 | cū kǒu | swear words / obscene language / foul language | |
| 引子 | yǐn zi | introduction / primer / opening words | |
| 千言万语 | qiān yán wàn yǔ | thousands of words (idiom) / having a lot of things to say / talking nonstop | |
| 字里行间 | zì lǐ háng jiān | between the words and the lines (idiom) / implied meaning / connotations | |
| 哑口无言 | yǎ kǒu wú yán | dumbstruck and unable to reply (idiom) / left speechless / at a loss for words | |
| 言喻 | yán yù | to describe / to put into words | |
| 危言耸听 | wēi yán sǒng tīng | frightening words to scare people (idiom) / alarmist talk / reds under the beds | |
| 连用 | lián yòng | to use (two words etc) together / to use (sth) continuously | |
| 语义 | yǔ yì | meaning of words / semantic | |
| 直言不讳 | zhí yán bù huì | to speak bluntly (idiom) / not to mince words | |
| 花言巧语 | huā yán qiǎo yǔ | graceful words, flowery speech (idiom) / elegant but insincere words / cheating wheedling / dishonest rhetoric | |
| 蜜语 | mì yǔ | sweet words / sweet talk | |
| 音译 | yīn yì | transliteration (rendering phonetic value, e.g. of English words in Chinese characters) / characters giving phonetic value of Chinese word or name (when the correct characters may be unknown) / transcription (linguistics) / to transcribe phonetic symbols | |
| 语塞 | yǔ sè | to be at a loss for words / speechless | |
| 口风 | kǒu fēng | meaning behind the words / what sb really means to say / one's intentions as revealed in one's words / tone of speech | |
| 舌战 | shé zhàn | verbal sparring / duel of words | |
| 点破 | diǎn pò | to lay bare in a few words / to expose with a word / to point out bluntly | |
| 戏言 | xì yán | joking matter / to go back on one's words | |
| 张口结舌 | zhāng kǒu jié shé | agape and tongue-tied (idiom) / at a loss for words / gaping and speechless | |
| 画龙点睛 | huà lóng diǎn jīng | to paint a dragon and dot in the eyes (idiom) / fig. to add the vital finishing touch / the crucial point that brings the subject to life / a few words to clinch the point | |
| 用字 | yòng zì | to use letters / to use words / diction | |
| 慰劳 | wèi láo | to show appreciation (by kind words, small gifts etc) / to comfort | |
| 察言观色 | chá yán guān sè | to weigh up sb's words and observe their facial expression (idiom) / to discern what sb thinks from his body language | |
| 气话 | qì huà | angry words / sth said in the moment of anger | |
| 话别 | huà bié | to say a few parting words / to bid goodbye | |
| 豪言壮语 | háo yán zhuàng yǔ | bold, visionary words | |
| 梦话 | mèng huà | talking in one's sleep / words spoken during sleep / fig. speech bearing no relation to reality / delusions | |
| 黑话 | hēi huà | argot / bandits' secret jargon / malicious words | |
| 双关 | shuāng guān | pun / play on words | |
| 至理名言 | zhì lǐ míng yán | wise saying / words of wisdom | |
| 肺腑之言 | fèi fǔ zhī yán | words from the bottom of one's heart | |
| 口误 | kǒu wù | to misspeak / to get one's words mixed up / a slip of the tongue | |
| 出尔反尔 | chū ěr fǎn ěr | old: to reap the consequences of one's words (idiom, from Mencius) / modern: to go back on one's word / to blow hot and cold / to contradict oneself / inconsistent | |
| 口水战 | kǒu shuǐ zhàn | war of words | |
| 圣明 | shèng míng | enlightened sage / brilliant master (flattering words applied to ruler) | |
| 言传 | yán chuán | to convey in words | |
| 格律 | gé lu:4 | forms of versification / conventions regarding set number of words and lines, choice of tonal patterns and rhyme schemes for various types of Classical Chinese poetic composition / metrical verse | |
| 言传身教 | yán chuán shēn jiào | to teach by words and example (idiom) | |
| 缠绵悱恻 | chán mián fěi cè | (of a person) sad beyond words (idiom) / (of music, literature etc) poignant / very sentimental | |
| 组词 | zǔ cí | to combine words / word formation | |
| 严词 | yán cí | forceful (criticism etc) / to use strong words | |
| 强词夺理 | qiǎng cí duó lǐ | to twist words and force logic (idiom) / sophistry / loud rhetoric making up for fallacious argument / shoving false arguments down people's throats | |
| 重码 | chóng mǎ | repeated code / coincident code (i.e. two characters or words having the same encoding) | |
| 咬文嚼字 | yǎo wén jiáo zì | to bite words and chew characters (idiom) / punctilious about minutiae of wording | |
| 虚言 | xū yán | empty words / false words | |
| 恶语 | è yǔ | evil words / malicious talk | |
| 田汉 | Tián Hàn | Tian Han (1898-1968), author of the words of the PRC national anthem March of the Volunteer Army 義勇軍進行曲|义勇军进行曲 | |
| 甜言 | tián yán | sweet words / fine talk | |
| 绝笔 | jué bǐ | words written on one’s deathbed / an artist's final work / swansong | |
| 常用字 | cháng yòng zì | everyday words | |
| 文辞 | wén cí | language / use of words / phraseology / articles / essays / writing | |
| 善言 | shàn yán | good words | |
| 赘言 | zhuì yán | superfluous words / unnecessary detail | |
| 词不达意 | cí bù dá yì | words do not convey the meaning / poorly expressed / senseless / inarticulate | |
| 话里有话 | huà lǐ yǒu huà | one's words carry an implicit meaning | |
