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论

論
lùn / Lún
verb #5,083

Meanings

  1. 1 to discuss; to debate
  2. 2 theory; doctrine
  3. 3 to determine; to regard as

Examples

无论如何我都要去。
Wúlùnrúhé wǒ dōu yào qù.
No matter what, I'm going.
我们讨论一下吧。
Wǒmen tǎolùn yíxià ba.
Let's discuss it.
不要一概而论。
Búyào yīgài'érlùn.
Don't generalize.

Tips

usage
论 appears in many high-frequency compounds: 讨论 (discuss), 无论 (regardless), 论文 (thesis/paper), 理论 (theory), 结论 (conclusion), 议论 (comment), 评论 (review). The verb sense is 'to discuss / argue / regard as'; the noun sense is 'theory, treatise'.
register
Almost every modern reading is lùn. The character has a second reading Lún used only in the title 论语 (Lúnyǔ), 'The Analects of Confucius'. That single classical title is the only context where Lún survives — see the separate Lún entry.

Components

radical
讠 yán
speech (radical form of 言)
Speech radical on the left is the simplified form of 言. It indexes 论 in the verbal-reasoning family alongside 谈 to chat, 议 to deliberate, 评 to evaluate, 谢 to thank. Where 谈 is informal talk and 说 is plain saying, 论 is structured discourse: ordered argument, treatise, debate.
phonetic
仑 lún
orderly arrangement (here phonetic)
Right is 仑, supplying the sound exactly: lún matches lùn (tone shift only). Simplified from 侖 in the reform; the older form pictured stacked tablets or arranged sticks, suggesting 'order, sequence'. That meaning seeps into 论 — speech that is properly arranged. Same phonetic core in 轮 wheel, 伦 ethics/order, 沦 to sink in succession.

Stroke Order

论 lùn