张口结舌 — “To be dumbfounded and unable to speak”
张口结舌 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be dumbfounded and unable to speak”. To be speechless with astonishment, fear, or embarrassment; to be at a loss for words, as if tonguetied. Literally, “open mouth, tied tongue”.
Frequency
张口结舌 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 张zhāng
- 口kǒu
- 结jié
- 舌shé
张口结舌 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 张口结舌
面对突如其来的质问，他一时张口结舌，不知道该如何回应。
Faced with the sudden interrogation, he was momentarily tonguetied, not knowing how to respond.
Idioms Related to 张口结舌
Antonyms of 张口结舌
More idioms starting with 张
- zhāng张sān三lǚ吕sì四any ordinary person
- zhāng张sān三lǐ李sì四Tom, Dick, and Harry
- zhāng张gōng公chī吃jiǔ酒lǐ李gōng公zuì醉be wrongly blamed for others' actions
- zhāng张gōng公chī吃jiǔ酒lǐ李gōng公diān颠one person acts, another takes blame
- zhāng张guān冠lǐ李dài戴to confuse one thing with another
- zhāng张kǒu口tǔ吐shé舌gasp in astonishment
- zhāng张kǒu口diào掉shé舌Speak freely and volubly
- zhāng张chún唇zhí植zī髭talk incessantly and volubly
- zhāng张zuǐ嘴jiǎo挢shé舌Speechless, dumbfounded, at a loss for words
- zhāng张zuǐ嘴jié结shé舌dumbfounded and speechless
- zhāng张dà大qí其shì事exaggerate something
- zhāng张dà大qí其cí词exaggerate one's statements
Questions about 张口结舌
- What does 张口结舌 mean?
- 张口结舌 (zhāng kǒu jié shé) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be dumbfounded and unable to speak”.
- How do you pronounce 张口结舌?
- 张口结舌 is pronounced zhāng kǒu jié shé in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 张口结舌 literally mean?
- Literally, 张口结舌 means “open mouth, tied tongue”. It is used to mean “to be dumbfounded and unable to speak”.
- What is the Chinese definition of 张口结舌?
- 结舌：舌头不能转动。张着嘴说不出话来。形容理屈词穷，或因紧张害怕而发愣。