📖 Meaning
To be steady and composed while speaking little. It describes someone whose serious, reliable temperament expresses itself through restraint in speech rather than verbosity.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from 'Xu Zizhi Tongjian' (Continuation of the Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance), in the annals of the first year of Emperor Taiding of the Yuan Dynasty. The text describes Huihui, the son of Boguomi and elder brother of Kuku, as a man who was steady and spoke little, yet loved learning and was skilled in writing. The passage pairs outward quietness with inner scholarly depth, portraying an ideal of composed reserve matched by intellectual substance.
💡 Example Usage
他为人敦默寡言，却于学问上颇有造诣。
Though steady and reserved in speech, he has attained real accomplishment in scholarship.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 敦默寡言
- Pinyin: dūn mò guǎ yán
- Literal Translation: steady, silent, few, words
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4