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I'm a bit confused about the meaning of '侃大山’。 It means 'chat, chit-chat', 'gossip', 'brag'. Anything else? Is it still used or old-fashioned?

What exactly does '侃大山‘ mean? Where does this phrase come from?

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  • bkrs:〈方〉漫无边际地聊天;闲聊。也作砍大山。 [piffle] [口]∶长时间没完没了地说一些琐碎、 不恰当或无效的话to chatter idly to gossip to boast or brag syn. 砍大山 baike.baidu.com/item/%E4%BE%83%E5%A4%A7%E5%B1%B1 (引证解释also explains origin) jukuu has 6 sample sentences
    – user6065
    May 22, 2017 at 13:26
  • It is an aimless, boastful babble about something grandiose with a lot of exaggeration. When Norman Maclean talked about his forest fire, that was an instance of 砍大山. Beijing Slang. Source unknown. May 23, 2017 at 17:36

2 Answers 2

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It means people chatting. Similar to "聊天", "闲聊". It's not a regular used word. "侃" can be used to describe a person is a chat-box, like "他太能侃了".

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A more accurate translation would be "bullshitting".

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  • Would it be possible to expand on this answer please? E.g. provide reliable references, gives examples, describe its origin.
    – Becky 李蓓
    May 10, 2020 at 2:34
  • If you can read Chinese, here is a link in Chinese shows detailed explanations of 侃大山. baike.baidu.com/item/%E4%BE%83%E5%A4%A7%E5%B1%B1
    – asule
    May 10, 2020 at 2:56
  • 1
    This is one got me laugh, I have to vote up.
    – zyy
    May 11, 2020 at 17:35

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