嘴皮子 (zuǐ pí zi) — (colloquial) glib talk, gift of gab (often impl…

Definition

Colloquial for 'gift of the gab' — emphasizes smooth, persuasive talking. The literal sense is just 'lips'.

noun

(colloquial) glib talkgift of gab (often implying empty words)(literal) lips

，。
Tā jiù huì shuǎ zuǐ pí zi, zhēn běn shì yì diǎn méi yǒu.
He's all talk — no real ability at all.
嘴皮子，。
Guāng kào zuǐ pí zi kě bù xíng, dé ná chū shí jì xíng dòng lái.
You can't just rely on smooth talk — you have to take concrete action.
，。
Tā yì zhāng zuǐ pí zi néng shuō huì dào, bǎ dà jiā dōu shuō fú le.
With his silver tongue, he talked everyone into agreeing.

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

嘴皮mouth skin

偏正Modifier + head

嘴 and 皮 picture the mouth's skin, and 子 gives the familiar spoken form.

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.

口觜嘴

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

觜

觜zī嘴

Same sound today

嘴 pairs 口 (mouth) with 觜, which supplies its sound.

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

皮 shows a hand pulling fur off an animal pelt, with the pelt drawn at the upper left.

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Appears in