📖 Meaning
To pass down knowledge or information orally from one person to another, without written records. It describes how traditions, stories, or teachings are transmitted through speech and listening across generations.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in Lu Xun's 'Outline of Chinese Literary History' (汉文学史纲要), where he notes that early Chinese literature and knowledge were transmitted 'mouth to ear' before the advent of writing. In ancient pre-literate times, history, culture, and oral traditions survived solely through this form of transmission across generations. This practice was common in early civilizations worldwide before written scripts were developed. Lu Xun used the term to characterize how ancient literary heritage endured before being committed to written form.
💡 Example Usage
这些民间故事靠口耳相传流传了数百年。
These folk tales have been passed down orally for centuries.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 口耳相传
- Pinyin: kǒu ěr xiāng chuán
- Literal Translation: mouth, ear, mutually, transmit
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4