📖 Meaning
To be rendered speechless and unable to produce a single sound. It describes someone who is left without words, typically because they have been proven wrong or cornered in an argument. It is a variant of the more common idiom 哑口无言.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in the Qing dynasty novel 《再生缘》, authored by Chen Duansheng. In the thirty-ninth chapter, Lady Meng listens to certain remarks that leave her so furious and overwhelmed that she cannot utter a word, described as being '哑口无声'. The expression captures the moment when indignation or defeat strips away one's ability to speak.
💡 Example Usage
面对铁证如山，他顿时哑口无声，再也无法辩解。
Faced with irrefutable evidence, he was instantly rendered speechless and could no longer defend himself.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 哑口无声
- Pinyin: yǎ kǒu wú shēng
- Literal Translation: dumb, mouth, no, sound
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4