The Buddha describes the four speakers—there’s a speaker who runs out of meaningful things to say, but not of ways of phrasing things, there’s a speaker who runs out of ways of phrasing things, but not of meaningful things to say, there’s a speaker who runs out of both meaningful things to say, and and ways of phrasing things.

AN 4.140 Speaker

“Cattārome, bhikkhave, vādī. Katame cattāro?

Atthi, bhikkhave, vādī atthato pariyādānaṁ gacchati, no byañjanato;

atthi, bhikkhave, vādī byañjanato pariyādānaṁ gacchati, no atthato;

atthi, bhikkhave, vādī atthato ca byañjanato ca pariyādānaṁ gacchati;

atthi, bhikkhave, vādī nevatthato no byañjanato pariyādānaṁ gacchati.

Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro vādī. Aṭṭhānametaṁ, bhikkhave, anavakāso yaṁ catūhi paṭisambhidāhi samannāgato atthato byañjanato pariyādānaṁ gaccheyyā”ti.

Dasamaṁ.

Puggalavaggo catuttho.

Tassuddānaṁ

Saṁyojanaṁ paṭibhāno,
ugghaṭitaññu uṭṭhānaṁ;
Sāvajjo dve ca sīlāni,
nikaṭṭha dhamma vādī cāti.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Cattārome, bhikkhave, vādī.

“Mendicants, there are these four speakers.

Katame cattāro?

What four?

Atthi, bhikkhave, vādī atthato pariyādānaṁ gacchati, no byañjanato;

There’s a speaker who runs out of meaningful things to say, but not of ways of phrasing things.

atthi, bhikkhave, vādī byañjanato pariyādānaṁ gacchati, no atthato;

There’s a speaker who runs out of ways of phrasing things, but not of meaningful things to say.

atthi, bhikkhave, vādī atthato ca byañjanato ca pariyādānaṁ gacchati;

There’s a speaker who runs out of both meaningful things to say, and ways of phrasing things.

atthi, bhikkhave, vādī nevatthato no byañjanato pariyādānaṁ gacchati.

There’s a speaker who never runs out of meaningful things to say, or ways of phrasing things.

Ime kho, bhikkhave, cattāro vādī.

These are the four speakers.

Aṭṭhānametaṁ, bhikkhave, anavakāso yaṁ catūhi paṭisambhidāhi samannāgato atthato byañjanato pariyādānaṁ gaccheyyā”ti.

It is impossible, it cannot happen that someone accomplished in the four kinds of textual analysis will ever run out of meaningful things to say, or ways of phrasing things.”

Dasamaṁ.

Puggalavaggo catuttho.

Tassuddānaṁ

Saṁyojanaṁ paṭibhāno,

ugghaṭitaññu uṭṭhānaṁ;

Sāvajjo dve ca sīlāni,

nikaṭṭha dhamma vādī cāti.

Topics & Qualities:

Investigation

Investigation

Investigation involves the process of a careful inquiry of mental states, qualities, and phenomena, examining their arising, persisting, and ceasing in order to understand their true nature and support the cultivation of wisdom and awakening.

Also known as: inquiry, contemplation, examination, analysis, exploration
Pāli: vicaya, vīmaṃsā, parikkhati
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Wisdom

Wisdom

Lived understanding and sound judgment that steers the mind away from suffering, distinct from mere accumulation of facts.

Also known as: (of a person) wise, astute, intelligent, learned, skilled, firm, stable, steadfast, an experiential understanding of the four noble truths
Pāli: paññā, medhā, dhīra, paṇḍita, asammūḷha
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Last updated on July 27, 2026