📖 Meaning
To be spread by word of mouth among many people; to be talked about and passed around by everyone. It describes how news or stories circulate widely through public retelling.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Qing dynasty work '警世钟' (Warning Bell) by Chen Tianhua, a revolutionary writer. In the text, Chen describes how a person who dies heroically in battle would be mourned by the entire nation, with their deeds spread far and wide through public retelling, and commemorated with bronze statues and stone monuments for eternal glory. The phrase emphasizes the power of collective oral transmission in preserving and amplifying a person's legacy.
💡 Example Usage
他的英勇事迹众口交传，很快传遍了整个小镇。
His heroic deeds were spread by word of mouth among the people and soon became known throughout the entire town.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 众口交传
- Pinyin: zhòng kǒu jiāo chuán
- Literal Translation: many, mouths, mutually, transmit
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4