📖 Meaning
This idiom is a metaphor for sweet talk and glib words. It describes someone who speaks cleverly but insincerely, using smooth and empty rhetoric without genuine substance behind their words. The vivid imagery of a hollow mouth and a gliding tongue captures the superficiality of such speech.
📜 Origin Story
The specific literary origin of this idiom is not clearly documented in classical texts. It appears to have emerged from colloquial Chinese usage, evolving as a folk expression that vividly depicts the physical movement of lips and tongue producing words devoid of sincerity. The compound structure pairs 'empty mouth' with 'skimming tongue,' creating a tangible image of hollow eloquence. Such descriptive idioms were commonly used in vernacular literature and everyday speech to criticize those who relied on smooth talk rather than honest communication.
💡 Example Usage
他总是虚嘴掠舌，没有一句真心话。
He is always full of glib talk, without a single sincere word.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 虚嘴掠舌
- Pinyin: xū zuǐ lüè shé
- Literal Translation: empty mouth, skimming tongue
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4