📖 Meaning
Literally 'dumb mouth, no words' — to be rendered speechless like a mute person. It describes being at a complete loss for words, typically because one's argument has been refuted and one can no longer defend one's position.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Ming dynasty collection Stories to Awaken the World (醒世恒言), Volume 8, by Feng Menglong (冯梦龙). In the story, a woman delivers a sharp, well-reasoned speech about proper wedding customs and family obligations. Her words are so compelling that the matchmaker Zhang Liusao (张六嫂) is left completely speechless, unable to offer any reply. The phrase has since been used to describe someone who cannot respond when their argument has been thoroughly dismantled.
💡 Example Usage
面对铁证如山，他哑口无言，无法辩解。
Faced with irrefutable evidence, he was rendered speechless and unable to defend himself.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 哑口无言
- Pinyin: yǎ kǒu wú yán
- Literal Translation: mute, mouth, without, words
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4