📖 Meaning
To lean close to someone's ear and speak in a low voice. It describes whispering to another person when discussing confidential or important matters, conveying secrecy and intimacy between the speakers.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Ming dynasty story collection 'Shi Dian Tou' (Stone Nods) by Tian Ran Chi Sou, specifically the chapter 'The Righteous Woman of Houguan County Avenges Her Enemy.' In the story, a character leans close to another's ear and whispers a cunning scheme, saying that they must first lay a trap and wait for the enemy to fall into it before discussing the next steps. The phrase later came to describe any hushed, private discussion of secret plans between confidants.
💡 Example Usage
他走到经理身边，附耳低言了几句，经理的表情立刻严肃起来。
He stepped up to the manager and whispered a few words in his ear, and the manager's expression instantly turned serious.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 附耳低言
- Pinyin: fù ěr dī yán
- Literal Translation: approach, ear, low, speak
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4