📖 Meaning
One's true emotions and inner feelings are revealed through their speech. It describes how a person's words naturally betray their genuine sentiments, whether joy, sorrow, anger, or sincerity. The idiom emphasizes that language is an authentic window into the heart.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is a variant of the older expression '情见乎辞' (qíng jiàn hū cí), which traces back to the 'Appended Remarks' (系辞下) of the I Ching (周易), one of China's oldest classics dating to the Zhou Dynasty. The original passage states that the sages' emotions and intentions are made manifest through their written words. Later scholars and writers substituted '言' (spoken words) for '辞' (phrasing/diction), creating this common variant that applies equally to spoken language. No specific historical figure or event is tied to the variant itself.
💡 Example Usage
他嘴上说没事，但情见乎言，谁都听得出他很难过。
He said he was fine, but his feelings were revealed through his words — everyone could tell he was deeply upset.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 情见乎言
- Pinyin: qíng jiàn hū yán
- Literal Translation: feelings, visible, in, words
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4