失言

shīyán
verb #33,409

Meanings

  1. 1 to make a slip of the tongue
  2. 2 to misspeak
  3. 3 to blurt out something one shouldn't

Examples

HSK 3
Duìbuqǐ, wǒ gāngcái shīyán le.
I'm sorry, I misspoke just now.
HSK 3
Jiǔhòu róngyì shīyán, yào xiǎoxīn.
It's easy to blurt out the wrong thing after drinking - be careful.

Tips

memory
Literally 'lose words' - to lose control of what you say. Compare 失口 (same meaning, 'lose mouth'), 失礼 (lose manners / be rude), 失态 (lose composure). The - prefix consistently means 'lose / fail to maintain'.

Stroke Order

shī
yán