tangentEnglish → ChineseOxford English–Chinesetangent /BrE ˈtan(d)ʒ(ə)nt , AmE ˈtændʒənt / A noun 1 (touching line) 切线; to fly off at a tangent «ball» 突然转向; to go off at or on a tangent figurative 突然转换话题 2 Mathematics (trigonometric function) 正切 B adjective attrib 正切的