📖 Meaning
Speaking too much will inevitably lead to mistakes and leaving oneself cornered. It is better to remain moderate and keep to the center. The idiom originates from Laozi's philosophy of restraint and non-excess.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom comes from Chapter 5 of the Daodejing, written by Laozi during the Spring and Autumn period. Laozi compares heaven and earth to a bellows—empty yet inexhaustible, the more it moves the more it produces. He then advises that speaking too much leads to exhaustion and defeat, urging instead to hold fast to the middle way. The teaching reflects the Daoist principle of moderation and the value of quiet restraint over excessive speech.
💡 Example Usage
他深谙多言数穷的道理，在会议上总是点到为止。
Understanding that too many words lead to a dead end, he always made his point briefly and stopped at meetings.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 多言数穷
- Pinyin: duō yán shuò qióng
- Literal Translation: many, words, soon, exhausted
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4