‘议论’ is a verb meaning ‘to discuss’ or ‘to talk about (often critically or informally)’. It combines two characters with overlapping meanings: ‘议’ (yì) means ‘to deliberate’ or ‘to propose’, and ‘论’ (lùn) means ‘to discuss’ or ‘to argue’. Together, they emphasize spoken exchange—usually among multiple people—and often carry a neutral-to-slightly-negative connotation, especially when implying idle or judgmental talk (similar to ‘gossip’ in English). It’s commonly used in both formal contexts (e.g., policy discussions) and informal ones (e.g., colleagues chatting about a colleague).

The word functions as a transitive or intransitive verb and typically appears in written Chinese and formal speech, though it also occurs in everyday conversation. Unlike the more neutral ‘讨论’ (tǎolùn), ‘议论’ may suggest subjectivity, speculation, or lack of authority—people ‘议论’ something they’re not officially responsible for. It rarely stands alone as a noun; instead, it's almost always verbal.