Chinese character 訕

訕 means hostile talk: speaking against or mocking someone. Classical Chinese texts such as the Analects and Mencius use it for slander; Shuowen, an early dictionary of Chinese characters, gives the same core gloss. The character combines 言, the speech element, with 山 as a clue to its sound.

Compound context changes the reading: 訕笑 means ridicule, 搭訕 means starting a conversation, and 訕訕 describes embarrassment. Traditional 訕 corresponds to simplified 讪; the script changes, not the meaning.