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天花乱坠 (tiān huā luàn zhuì) — to talk in a flowery but unrealistic way; to make an extravagant description

Definition

Idiom meaning someone's words are as fancy and flowing as 'falling heavenly flowers' — always used to warn that the speaker is exaggerating or lying, not to praise eloquence.

idiom
to talk in a flowery but unrealistic wayto make an extravagant description

Examples

  • 天花乱坠，。
    Tā bǎ zì jǐ chuī dé tiān huā luàn zhuì, qí shí gēn běn méi nà huí shì.
    He boasted about himself in an extravagant way, but in fact there was nothing to it.
  • 天花乱坠，。
    Guǎng gào shuō dé tiān huā luàn zhuì, kě chǎn pǐn xiào guǒ què hěn chà.
    The advertisement made extravagant claims, but the product's effect was very poor.
  • 天花乱坠，。
    Nǐ bié tīng tā jiǎng dé tiān huā luàn zhuì, hái shì yào zì jǐ qīn yǎn kàn kàn.
    Don't listen to his flowery talk; you still need to see for yourself.

Origin

Characters in this word

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
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
化
化huà花
Same sound today

花 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 化, which gives the sound.

Open 花 →

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 亂; 乱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
乚Written in full as乙yǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
𤔔
𤔔𤔔亂luàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 亂 contains 𤔔, a drawing of combing tangled threads, and 乙; the simplified 乱 is only a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 乱 →

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
土土tǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
队
队duì坠zhuì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

坠 combines 土, an earth-related part, with 队, which gives the sound.

Open 坠 →
Appears in
Communication & SpeechIdioms & Set Phrases

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