弦外之音 xián wài zhī yīn

DEFINITIONS

  1. overtone (music)
  2. (fig.) connotation
  3. implied meaning

CHARACTERS

弦 xián
HSK 6
string; hypotenuse, crescent
外 wài
HSK 2
out, outside, external; foreign
之 zhī
HSK 4
marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
音 yīn
HSK 3
sound, tone, pitch, pronunciation