Definition

1. Verb:
   • To expatiate: To speak or write at length about a subject, often in a discursive, rambling, or non-essential manner.
   • To discuss vaguely / To talk in generalities: To converse or comment broadly on a topic without focusing on practical, specific, or concrete details.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Ông ấy thích ngồi quán cà phê phiếm luận về thế sự. (He likes to sit in coffee shops and expatiate on worldly affairs.)
  • Bài viết này chỉ phiếm luận chung chung, thiếu dẫn chứng cụ thể. (This article merely discusses things in vague generalities, lacking specific evidence.)
  • Chúng tôi ngồi phiếm luận đủ thứ chuyện trên trời dưới biển. (We sat and rambled on about all sorts of things under the sun.)

Advanced Usage

• The word carries a slightly critical or dismissive nuance, implying the discussion is idle, unfocused, or lacks practical value. It is often used to contrast with serious, focused, or actionable discourse.

Variants and Related Words

• Bàn luận (v): To discuss, to debate (more neutral and general).
• Tán gẫu (v): To chat, to gossip (informal, social).
• Thao thao bất tuyệt (idiomatic phrase): To talk incessantly and at great length.

Synonyms

• Expatiate
• Ramble
• Discourse vaguely
• Talk idly

Related Idioms

• Chuyện phiếm: Idle talk, chit-chat.
  • Họ ngồi uống trà nói chuyện phiếm. (They sat drinking tea and making idle talk.)

1. động từ. to expatiate