📖 Meaning
To put one's head close to another's and speak into their ear; to whisper privately together. It describes two or more people huddling closely and talking in low, secretive voices, often implying that they are exchanging private or gossipy remarks out of others' hearing.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Yuan Dynasty playwright Guan Hanqing's zaju play "Dan Dao Hui" (Meeting at Single Sword), in the third act of which a character orders, "No whispering head-to-head, no laughing and chattering loudly." Guan Hanqing was one of the most celebrated dramatists of the Yuan Dynasty (13th–14th century). The phrase pairs the images of heads leaning together and ears drawing close to vividly capture the act of secretive, hushed conversation.
💡 Example Usage
考试时他们交头接耳，监考老师走过来提醒了他们。
During the exam they kept whispering head-to-head, so the proctor came over and warned them.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 交头接耳
- Pinyin: jiāo tóu jiē ěr
- Literal Translation: join heads, connect ears
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4