期期艾艾 — “To stammer and stutter”

The idiom "期期艾艾" (qī qī ài ài), meaning to stammer or speak haltingly, originates from two historical anecdotes.

The first story comes from the "Records of the Grand Historian." During the early Han Dynasty, there was a general named Zhou Chang, known for his integrity and directness. He had a severe stutter. When Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang intended to replace Crown Prince Liu Ying with another son, Ruyi, Zhou Chang vehemently opposed it. He advised the emperor, saying, "I am not eloquent, but I know this is wrong. If Your Majesty insists on deposing the Crown Prince, I will not obey your command." Due to his speech impediment, Zhou Chang repeated the character "期" (qī), inadvertently saying "期期" when it was not grammatically necessary.

The second story, found in "A New Account of the Tales of the World," features Deng Ai, a general from the state of Wei during the Three Kingdoms period, who also had a stammer. When he spoke, he often repeated his own name, saying "Ai... Ai." One day, Jin Wenwang (Sima Zhao) playfully asked him, "You always say 'Ai... Ai'; how many 'Ai's are there?" Deng Ai cleverly responded, "The phrase 'Phoenix, oh Phoenix' (凤兮，凤兮), though repeated, still refers to a single phoenix."

These two historical accounts, depicting individuals with speech impediments characterized by repeated sounds, eventually gave rise to the idiom "期期艾艾" to describe someone who stammers or speaks with difficulty.