noun, specifically
non-Standard Mandarin variety of Chinese (such as dialectal Mandarin, Cantonese, Min Nan, etc.)
他在家説方言,在學校説普通話。
他在家说方言,在学校说普通话。
tā zài jiā shuō fāng yán , zài xué xiào shuō pǔ tōng huà . He speaks the local dialect at home and Standard Mandarin at school.
name
Fangyan (the first Chinese dictionary of dialectal terms, written by Han dynasty scholar Yang Xiong)
verb, literary
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see 方, 言 (yán): to open one's mouth to speak after a period of silence
Definitions (Kaifangcidian)
(沒有對應漢語詞彙)
Definitions (HSK3.0)
HSK3 七一九级词汇表 #1069
Examples (Tatoeba—Mandarin-English)
Mandarin
汤姆总是因为约翰的方言嘲笑他。
湯姆總是因為約翰的方言嘲笑他。
tāng mǔ zǒng shì yīn wèi yuē hàn de fāng yán cháo xiào tā 。
Tom always makes fun of John because of his dialect.
Mandarin
他嘴里一口方言。
他嘴裏一口方言。
tā zuǐ lǐ yī kǒu fāng yán 。
He speaks in a dialect.
Mandarin
我们中国的各地方言才是真正的中国话。
我們中國的各地方言才是真正的中國話。
wǒ men zhōng guó de gè dì fāng yán cái shì zhēn zhèng de zhōng guó huà 。
The various dialects of China are what 'Chinese' really is.
Mandarin
那个语言学家精通几个中国方言。
那個語言學家精通幾個中國方言。
nà ge yǔ yán xué jiā jīng tōng jǐ ge zhōng guó fāng yán 。
The linguist is fluent in several Chinese dialects.
"Language" and "dialect" are just labels; changing the label doesn't change the substance.
Examples (粵典–words.hk)
Cantonese
唐人有𢬿牛乳共糖嚟搅茶有冇呢?(《汉语读本之广东方言 A Chinese Chrestomathy in the Canton Dialect》1841)
唐人有𢬿牛乳共糖嚟攪茶有冇呢?(《漢語讀本之廣東方言 A Chinese Chrestomathy in the Canton Dialect》1841)
yue:唐人有𢬿牛乳共糖嚟攪茶有冇呢?(《漢語讀本之廣東方言 A Chinese Chrestomathy in the Canton Dialect》1841)
He speaks the local dialect at home and Standard Mandarin at school.
Mandarin
据说在1990年成立全苏东干族协会时,吉尔吉斯斯坦南方的奥什回回因为不会讲陕甘宁方言而嚎啕大哭,痛惜自己丢失了母语。
據說在1990年成立全蘇東干族協會時,吉爾吉斯斯坦南方的奧什回回因爲不會講陝甘寧方言而嚎啕大哭,痛惜自己丟失了母語。
jù shuō zài 1990 nián chéng lì quán sū dōng gān zú xié huì shí , jí ěr jí sī sī tǎn nán fāng de ào shén huí huí yīn wèi bù huì jiǎng shǎn gān níng fāng yán ér háo táo dà kū , tòng xī zì jǐ diū shī le mǔ yǔ .
It is said that during the 1990 formation of the All-Soviet Dungan Association, Hui of Osh in southern Kyrgyzstan cried most terribly, unable to speak their Shaan-Gan-Ning dialect, lamenting the loss of their native language.