三缄其口 (sān jiān qí kǒu) — to be extremely tight-lipped; to seal one's lips; to say nothing (out of caution)

Definition

A formal chengyu meaning to stay completely silent, usually out of caution or fear. Conveys deliberate, resolute silence — stronger than just 沉默. The verb 缄 (seal) is rarely used outside this idiom.

idiom
to be extremely tight-lippedto seal one's lipsto say nothing (out of caution)

Examples

  • ，三缄其口，。
    Guān yú zhè jiàn shì, tā sān jiān qí kǒu, yí gè zì yě bù kěn shuō.
    He is extremely tight-lipped about this matter and won't say a single word.
  • ，三缄其口，。
    Miàn duì jì zhě de zhuī wèn, zhè wèi guān yuán sān jiān qí kǒu, jù jué fā biǎo rèn hé píng lùn.
    Facing the reporters' questions, the official sealed his lips and refused to make any comments.
  • ，三缄其口。
    Tā shēng xìng jǐn shèn, zài zhòng yào huì yì shàng zǒng shì sān jiān qí kǒu.
    He is cautious by nature and always keeps his mouth shut at important meetings.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

三缄seal three times
三sānthree缄jiānseal
偏正Modifier + head
其口its mouth
其qíits口kǒumouth
偏正Modifier + head

缄 means seal and 口 means mouth, while 三 and 其 give repeated sealing of one's mouth.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

三 is drawn as three parallel strokes, like 一 with one stroke and 二 with two.

Open 三 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 缄 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The modern form 其 comes from an early drawing of a basket, with a stand added underneath.

Open 其 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 口 looks like an open mouth.

Open 口 →

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