Definition
食言 literally means 'to eat one's words' — a vivid metaphor for breaking a promise or failing to keep a commitment. It's a separable verb (离合词): the object 言 can be modified or separated from 食, as in 食过言 ('broke a promise before') or 食了大言 ('broke a big promise'). You can also insert 不 or 了 between the syllables: 食言了, 不食言. It's a formal/literary expression, common in written Chinese and serious contexts.
v.o.
to break one's promiseto go back on one's word
Examples
- ，食言。Tā dāyìng bāngmáng, zuìhòu què shí yán le.He promised to help, but in the end he went back on his word.
- ，。Wǒ cóngwèi shí guò yán, zhè cì yě bú huì.I've never broken a promise before, and I won't this time either.
- ，食言。Zuòwéi lǐngdǎo, nǐ jué bù néng shí yán.As a leader, you absolutely cannot break your word.
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