📖 Meaning
Speaks as fluently and unstoppably as a river in full flood; describes someone who is eloquent and glib, talking on and on without end. It is another way of saying 口若悬河 (mouth like a hanging river).
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is a variant of 口若悬河. The original phrase comes from Shi Shuo Xin Yu (New Tales of the World), compiled by Liu Yiqing of the Liu Song dynasty in the Southern Dynasties period, which records the Western Jin figure Wang Yan praising the philosopher Guo Xiang (Guo Zixuan): 'When Guo Zixuan discusses, his words pour down like a hanging river, never running dry.' The image of an endless torrent of speech later became a stock metaphor for brilliant eloquence, and 谈若悬河 arose as a synonym conveying the same meaning of tireless, eloquent talk.
💡 Example Usage
他在辩论赛上谈若悬河，令对手难以招架。
He spoke as fluently as a pouring river during the debate, leaving his opponents unable to parry his words.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 谈若悬河
- Pinyin: tán ruò xuán hé
- Literal Translation: talk, as if, hanging, river
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4