📖 Meaning
A bronze figure with its mouth sealed shut, symbolizing extreme caution in speech. It describes someone who is very careful with words and refrains from speaking carelessly or recklessly.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom traces back to the story of Confucius visiting the ancestral temple of the Zhou dynasty, where he saw a bronze figure (金人) with its mouth sealed. On the back of the figure was an inscription warning people to be cautious with their words, as careless speech can lead to disaster. Confucius used this sight as a lesson for his disciples about the virtue of restraint in speech. The story is recorded in the Han dynasty text Shuo Yuan (说苑) by Liu Xiang and in Kongzi Jiayu (孔子家语).
💡 Example Usage
在敏感问题上，他如金人缄口，从不轻易表态。
On sensitive issues, he stays as tight-lipped as a bronze figure, never voicing his stance lightly.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 金人缄口
- Pinyin: jīn rén jiān kǒu
- Literal Translation: golden, person, sealed, mouth
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4