📖 Meaning
Describes someone saying something repeatedly or constantly. It often implies that a person keeps making the same declaration over and over, sometimes suggesting a gap between their professed words and actual conduct.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Yuan dynasty play 'Qiuhu Teases His Wife' (秋胡戏妻) by Shi Junbao (石君宝). In the third act, the cuckoo bird (杜宇) is described as calling out repeatedly, urging the gentleman that it would be better to return home. The phrase literally depicts sounds issuing from the mouth again and again, and over time it came to describe someone who keeps repeating the same thing incessantly.
💡 Example Usage
他口口声声说不在乎，其实心里比谁都紧张。
He keeps saying he doesn't care, but in truth he's more nervous than anyone.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 口口声声
- Pinyin: kǒu kǒu shēng shēng
- Literal Translation: mouth, mouth, sound, sound
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4