---
title: "Tanyan Meaning: 坦言 (tǎnyán) Means “to say frankly”"
description: "坦言 (tǎnyán) means “to say frankly; to admit candidly”. Hear its tones, see what 坦 and 言 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/tanyan"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 坦言 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

坦言 tǎnyán

## to say frankly; to admit candidly

## Its characters

1. 坦 tǎn candid
2. 言 yán to say

## In a sentence

她坦言自己当时非常紧张。 She admitted frankly that she was very nervous at the time.

[More about 坦言](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%9D%A6%E8%A8%80)

## More words with 坦 or 言

- [代言 dàiyán](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/daiyan)
- [方言 fāngyán](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fangyan)
- [发言 fāyán](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fayan)
- [发言人 fāyánrén](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/fayanren)
- [谎言 huǎngyán](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/huangyan)
- [留言 liúyán](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/liuyan)
- [平坦 píngtǎn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/pingtan)
- [坦克 tǎnkè](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/tanke)
- [言论 yánlùn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/yanlun)
- [言语 yányǔ](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/yanyu)

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