Definition
口若悬河 (kǒu ruò xuán hé) is a four-character idiom literally meaning 'mouth like a hanging river' — referring to someone who speaks with such fluency and abundance that the words seem to pour out endlessly. The tone can be positive (praising eloquence and persuasive speech) or slightly negative (implying the person is glib or talks too much). It is used as a predicate or attribute, often with 地说 to modify the manner of speaking.
f.e.
eloquentspeaking with great fluencyglibtalkative (sometimes with a critical nuance)
Examples
- 。Tā zài biànlùnhuì shang kǒu rě de shuōfú le suǒyǒu píngwěi.He convinced all the judges at the debate with his eloquence.
- 口若悬河，。Nà wèi tuīxiāoyuán kǒu rě, shuō de gùkè dāngchǎng jiù qiān le hétóng.That salesman was so glib that the customer signed the contract on the spot.
- ，口若悬河。Bié kàn tā píngshí chénmò guǎ yán, yì jiǎng qǐ lìshǐ lái jiù kǒu rě.He may be quiet usually, but once he starts talking about history, he becomes extremely eloquent.
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