Chinese Idioms about Speech & Expression

Brief in words, complete in meaning — concise.

Words leave the mouth as finished essays — eloquent on the spot.

One word and it's settled — done deal.

Speaking with absolute certainty — as if it's chiselled in stone.

Without thinking; without hesitation; off the top of one's head.

To not think something worth looking at; to disdain.

It goes without saying; self-evident; obvious.

To disapprove of; to think little of; to not take seriously.

Casual and careless; nonchalant.

To make a fuss over nothing; to be alarmed at the slightest provocation.

To quote out of context; to take something out of context.

Abuzz; rife; creating a great clamor.

Everyone airs their own views; each expresses their opinion.

As the name implies; the meaning is evident from the name.

The whole room roars with laughter; a burst of laughter from everyone present.

Sweet words and clever phrases; honeyed words; deceptive language.

Vivid and lively; lifelike; graphic.

Different people have different views; opinions differ.

To whisper to each other; to huddle together and talk in whispers.

To discuss something with great relish; to talk about something with gusto.

Invaluable advice; golden words.

To come straight to the point; to be direct and straightforward.

To speak with composure and confidence; to speak frankly and fluently.

Eloquent; to speak with a torrent of words.

Saying one thing but meaning another; duplicity.

To advise earnestly and repeatedly; to give earnest and well-meaning advice.

To boast and brag; to talk bombastically.

A cliché; a commonplace remark; a truism.

To be in the right and confident; to have justice on one's side.

To volunteer one's services; to recommend oneself.

Flushed with anger or embarrassment; red in the face.

To throw a brick to attract jade; to offer a humble opinion to elicit a valuable response; to offer a modest contribution as a stimulus for others to contribute more valuable ones.

How can this be reasonable?; preposterous!

All talking at once; a hubbub of voices.

Following the same pattern; stereotyped; cut from the same cloth.

To be overbearing; to be arrogant and domineering.

To speak the truth; to tell it like it is.

To be overwhelmed by favor from superiors; to be flattered by an unexpected honor.

Specious; appearing right but actually wrong.

To haggle over a price; to bargain.

to pour out words in a flood; talking non-stop

To describe something extravagantly or hyperbolically; to exaggerate wildly.

Clear and logical; well-arranged; methodical.

to hem and haw; to speak haltingly

To blurt out; to let slip; to speak without thinking.

To exaggerate to mislead or scare people; to raise a false alarm; sensationalize.

To have nothing to say; to be speechless; to be at a loss for words.

To generalize; to lump everything together.

Every action; each move.

With one voice; unanimously.

Without uttering a word; not saying a thing.

Not saying a word; remaining silent.

Every word and deed; all words and actions.

With cadence and varied tones; modulated (voice).

To hit the nail on the head; to get straight to the point.

To quote classics and cite authority; to support an argument with classical references.

Universally praised; enjoy a good reputation.

Vivid and lively; full of sound and color.

Established by common practice; conventional.

Full of praise; to praise incessantly.

Resolute and decisive; to chop nails and slice iron (with ease).

to oppose each other point-to-point; to be at loggerheads

to gesticulate wildly; to boss around

As everyone knows; it is common knowledge.

To consider oneself always in the right; be opinionated.

In short; in a word; in conclusion.