📖 Meaning
Describes a poem, essay, or work so beloved that it is widely quoted and praised by everyone. The image is of a dish so delicious that it passes from mouth to mouth. It is a variant of the more common idiom 脍炙人口.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is a variant of 脍炙人口, which traces back to the Five Dynasties period in Wang Dingbao's 唐摭言, where the poetry of Li Tao was said to be relished by everyone like finely minced roast meat. In classical China, 脍 (minced meat) and 炙 (roasted meat) were regarded as the most savory of foods, loved by all who tasted them. Over time the phrase came to describe literary works so appealing that people everywhere recited and praised them. The variant 流脍人口 emphasizes the sense of 流, that the work "flows" from mouth to mouth and spreads widely.
💡 Example Usage
这首诗清新自然，很快便流脍人口。
Fresh and natural, this poem was soon on everyone's lips.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 流脍人口
- Pinyin: liú kuài rén kǒu
- Literal Translation: flows, minced meat, people, mouth
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4