口实 (kǒu shí) — pretext; excuse; cause for gossip

Definition

口实 (kǒu shí) means a pretext or excuse — something one can be 'held to' by others, often giving them grounds to gossip or attack. Closely tied to the act of giving someone 'a handle' against you, unlike a plain excuse.

noun
pretextexcusecause for gossip

Examples

  • 口实。
    Tā zhè yàng zuò zhī huì gěi bié rén liú xià kǒu shí.
    Acting this way will only give others a pretext.
  • 口实。
    Zhèng dí lì yòng zhè jiàn shì zuò wéi gōng jī tā de kǒu shí.
    Political opponents used this incident as a pretext to attack him.
  • 口实。
    Tā zhǎo le yí gè kǒu shí tuī diào le nà xiàng rèn wu.
    He found an excuse to turn down that task.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

口kǒumouth
实shísubstance

口 (mouth) and 实 (substance) suggest something that can be spoken about, hence an excuse or cause for gossip.

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 實; 实 is its simplified writing.

  • 宀宀miánroof
  • 周周zhōucarved jade
  • 貝貝bèishellfish; cowrie

The traditional form 實 has 宀 'roof' above 周 'carved jade' and 貝 'cowrie'; the simplified 实 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 实 →

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