📖 Meaning
To shut one's mouth and say nothing. It describes someone who remains silent because they feel they are in the wrong, have been cornered, or prefer not to take a stance on a matter. The idiom conveys a sense of being rendered speechless by embarrassment, guilt, or an awkward deadlock.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom appears in classic Chinese literature from the Ming and Qing dynasties. In Chapter 64 of Shi Nai'an's Ming-dynasty novel 'Water Margin' (《水浒传》), the general Guan Sheng is described as '闭口无言, 手脚无措' — closing his mouth speechless and not knowing what to do with his hands and feet — after being caught off guard by a courteous gesture from an opponent. The idiom also appears in Chapter 105 of Wu Jianren's Qing-dynasty novel 'Bizarre Happenings Eyewitnessed Over Two Decades' (《二十年目睹之怪现状》), where a character named Zhu Boru is lectured into silence and has no choice but to leave. Both usages cemented the phrase as a vivid depiction of being dumbfounded into silence.
💡 Example Usage
他被问得闭口无言，脸涨得通红。
He was questioned into silence, his face flushing bright red.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 闭口无言
- Pinyin: bì kǒu wú yán
- Literal Translation: close, mouth, without, speech
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4