<p>Your best shot was pretty good.</p>
<p>言不及义 - A person's talk does not touch/reach the true/real meaning of the subject he wanted to deliver. He either does not have a thorough understanding of the subject or is not able to organize his thought in a logical manner.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-07-15T13:06:06.747Z
2021-07-15T13:06:06.747Z
r13
<p>One of Confucius sayings contains the construction 言不及义. It carries the meaning &quot;unable to talk on serious topics&quot;, from what a dictionary gave me. However, I was interested in the per-character structure of such meanings, and went to translate these characters individually.</p>
<ul>
<li>言 - yán - speech</li>
<li>不 - bù - a universal negation</li>
<li>及 - jí - to reach, to catch, to participate, to improve to a certain extent</li>
<li>义 - yì - justice, moral, fact, meaning</li>
</ul>
<p>So, 'speech not reaching meaning' is the best I can get from this breakdown.</p>
<p>Any help on grasping the meaning is highly appreciated.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-07-15T10:38:43.430Z
speech not reaching meaning --> speech never get to any meaningful topic
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-07-15T10:41:38.437Z
@TangHo Here, 及义 might mean 'to reach meaning'?
Rusurano
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-07-15T10:44:31.517Z
Yes,及义 means 'reach meaning' and 'speech not reach meaning' because it never get to anything meaningful
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-07-15T11:53:15.073Z
These days we would say "Idle chit-chat"
Wayne Cheah
<translation><meaning-in-context><idioms>
What is the meaning of 及义?
# What is the meaning of 及义?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-07-15)

One of Confucius sayings contains the construction 言不及义. It carries the meaning "unable to talk on serious topics", from what a dictionary gave me. However, I was interested in the per-character structure of such meanings, and went to translate these characters individually.

* 言 - yán - speech
* 不 - bù - a universal negation
* 及 - jí - to reach, to catch, to participate, to improve to a certain extent
* 义 - yì - justice, moral, fact, meaning

So, 'speech not reaching meaning' is the best I can get from this breakdown.

Any help on grasping the meaning is highly appreciated.

**Tags:** translation, meaning-in-context, idioms

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: speech not reaching meaning --> speech never get to any meaningful topic  
> **username_0**: @username_1 Here, 及义 might mean 'to reach meaning'?  
> **username_1**: Yes,及义 means 'reach meaning' and 'speech not reach meaning' because it never get to anything meaningful  
> **username_2**: These days we would say "Idle chit-chat"  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2021-07-15. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

Your best shot was pretty good.

言不及义 - A person's talk does not touch/reach the true/real meaning of the subject he wanted to deliver. He either does not have a thorough understanding of the subject or is not able to organize his thought in a logical manner.


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