📖 Meaning
This idiom describes someone who has talked so much that their voice becomes hoarse and their mouth is exhausted. It conveys the image of speaking tirelessly and persistently, often in an effort to persuade or explain something. It is closely related to the more common idiom 舌敝唇焦.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom combines two descriptive phrases: 哓音, meaning a chattering or incessant voice, and 瘏口, meaning a mouth worn out from overuse. The term 瘏 (tú) appears in classical texts such as the Shijing (Book of Songs), where it describes exhaustion or illness from strain. Over time, these two elements were joined to depict the state of someone who has spoken at great length until physically spent. The phrase is used in later literary and scholarly writing to emphasize the sheer effort and persistence of one's speech, particularly in contexts of earnest persuasion or remonstration.
💡 Example Usage
他为了说服大家接受这个方案，哓音瘏口地说了整整一个下午。
He talked himself hoarse for an entire afternoon trying to persuade everyone to accept the proposal.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 哓音瘏口
- Pinyin: xiāo yīn tú kǒu
- Literal Translation: chattering voice, worn-out mouth
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4