口若悬河 (kǒu ruò xuán hé) — eloquent, speaking with great fluency; glib, talkative (sometimes with a critical nuance)

Definition

Idiom meaning a person speaks with such great fluency that the words pour out 'like a suspended river' — a stronger, more literary image than plain 流利. Can carry a slightly critical tone when the speaker is being overly persuasive.

idiom
eloquentspeaking with great fluencyglibtalkative (sometimes with a critical nuance)

Examples

  • 。
    Tā zài biàn lùn huì shàng kǒu ruò xuán hé dì shuō fú le suǒ yǒu píng wěi.
    He convinced all the judges at the debate with his eloquence.
  • 口若悬河，。
    Nà wèi tuī xiāo yuán kǒu ruò xuán hé, shuō dé gù kè dāng chǎng jiù qiān le hé tong.
    That salesman was so glib that the customer signed the contract on the spot.
  • ，口若悬河。
    Bié kàn tā píng shí chén mò guǎ yán, yì jiǎng qǐ lì shǐ lái jiù kǒu ruò xuán hé.
    He may be quiet usually, but once he starts talking about history, he becomes extremely eloquent.

Origin

Characters in this word

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 →

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

若 began as a picture of a person combing their hair, associated with obedience.

Open 若 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 懸; 悬 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
縣
縣xiàn懸xuán
Same sound today

The traditional form 懸 adds 心, “heart,” to the older form 縣, which gave the sound. The simplified 悬 is a later abbreviation.

Open 悬 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
何
何hé河hé
Same sound today

河 pairs 水 (water) with 何, which gives the sound. The 水 part marks it as a word for a river.

Open 河 →

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