坦言

tǎnyán

verb #38,100

Meanings

1 to say candidly
2 to admit frankly
3 to speak openly

Characters

to speak / words

Examples

他坦言自己当时很紧张。

Tā tǎnyán zìjǐ dāngshí hěn jǐnzhāng.

He candidly admitted he was very nervous at the time.

记者会上，她坦言公司面临困难。

Jìzhěhuì shàng, tā tǎnyán gōngsī miànlín kùnnán.

At the press conference, she openly acknowledged the company was facing difficulties.

Tips

register

Journalistic / formal. You'll see 坦言 constantly in news ledes introducing a source's candid quote. In conversation, 老实说 or 说实话 are more natural.

Stroke Order

坦 tǎn

言 yán