📖 Meaning
To talk glibly or chatter endlessly, often to show off one's eloquence. It can also mean to spread gossip and sow discord among people. The idiom conveys a negative tone, implying that such talk is frivolous or harmful rather than sincere.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom first appears in the Ming dynasty story collection "Stories to Awaken the World" (醒世恒言) by Feng Menglong, in the tale "Master Li Meets a Hero in a Poor Dwelling." The phrase describes someone talking freely and recklessly in private, heedless of who might overhear. It later appears in Wang Tingne's Ming drama "The Lion's Roar" (狮吼记), where it characterizes idle, slanderous chatter. Over time it came to denote both empty boasting and malicious gossipmongering.
💡 Example Usage
他整日调唇弄舌，搬弄是非，邻里都对他敬而远之。
He spends his days wagging his tongue and spreading gossip, so the neighbors keep their distance.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 调唇弄舌
- Pinyin: tiáo chún nòng shé
- Literal Translation: move lips, play tongue
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4