📖 Meaning
This idiom describes someone who speaks recklessly and makes careless, unfounded statements without thinking first. It is a variant of the more common form 信口开合, where 喝 ('to shout') intensifies the sense of blurting things out loudly and without restraint. The phrase conveys irresponsibility and a lack of caution in one's words.
📜 Origin Story
信口开喝 is a variant of the classical idiom 信口开合, which paints the image of a mouth opening and closing at will, uncontrolled. By replacing 合 ('to close') with 喝 ('to shout'), this form emphasizes the loud and impulsive quality of the reckless speech. No single authoritative textual source is recorded for this specific variant, but it follows the same semantic logic found in vernacular fiction and oral storytelling traditions of late imperial China. Such expressions were commonly used to criticize gossips, swindlers, or boastful characters in classical literature.
💡 Example Usage
他这个人总是信口开喝，毫无根据的话也敢当众乱讲。
He's always shooting his mouth off, blurting out baseless claims in front of everyone.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 信口开喝
- Pinyin: xìn kǒu kāi hē
- Literal Translation: at will, mouth, open, shout
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4