yì抑suppressyáng扬raisedùn顿pausecuò挫stop
With cadence and varied tones; modulated (voice).
Literal meaning
suppress (抑) — raise (扬) — pause (顿) — stop (挫)
Origin
A classical four-character phrase describing the rhythm and intonation of speech or music.
Examples
Tā他de的yǎn演jiǎng讲yì抑yáng扬dùn顿cuò挫，fēi非cháng常dòng动tīng听。
His speech was modulated and very pleasant to listen to.
Tā她chàng唱gē歌de的shēng声yīn音yì抑yáng扬dùn顿cuò挫，fù富yǒu有gǎn感qíng情。
Her singing voice was full of emotion and had a beautiful cadence.
Usage & nuances
Used to describe the pleasing and expressive quality of speech or music.
Learn idioms by speaking them
Idioms are most useful when they land in a real conversation. Practice them out loud in Kango — get instant feedback on tone and timing.
Download Kango on iOS