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绝口 (jué kǒu) — to stop talking about (something); to never mention again

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to stop mentioning, never bring up again' — almost always used in the pattern 绝口不提/不说 (绝口 never stands alone). Far stronger than simply not talking; it signals deliberate, permanent silence on a topic.

verb
to stop talking about (something)to never mention again

Examples

  • 绝口。
    Tā duì nà jiàn shì jué kǒu bù tí.
    He never mentions that matter.
  • 绝口。
    Tā jué kǒu bù shuō chū zhè ge mì mì.
    She absolutely never reveals this secret.
  • ，，。
    Guān yú nà jiàn shì, tā jué guò yí cì kǒu, dàn hòu lái yòu tí le.
    Concerning that matter, he once stopped talking about it, but later brought it up again.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

绝juéstop/cut off
口kǒumouth

“绝” (stop/cut off) and “口” (mouth) combine to mean shutting one's mouth about something.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 絕; 绝 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 絕, 刀 (knife) and 幺 (silk) show a knife cutting silk threads. The simplified 绝 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original picture.

Open 绝 →

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 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

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