口尚乳臭 — “Still wet behind the ears”
口尚乳臭 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Still wet behind the ears”. Too young and inexperienced to be taken seriously; green; immature. Literally, “Mouth still smells of milk”.
Frequency
口尚乳臭 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 口kǒu
- 尚shàng
- 乳rǔ
- 臭xiù
口尚乳臭 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 口尚乳臭
他虽然资历尚浅，但工作非常努力，我们不能因为他口尚乳臭就轻视他的能力。
Although he is still quite junior, he works very hard. We shouldn't underestimate his abilities just because he's still wet behind the ears.
Origin and Story of 口尚乳臭
During the Chu-Han Contention, Liu Bang prepared to launch an expedition against Wei Bao, the King of Western Wei, who intended to betray him.
He asked Li Shiqi about Wei Bao's generals. Li Shiqi mentioned that Wei Bao's chief general was Bai Zhi.
Liu Bang dismissed Bai Zhi as 'still wet behind the ears' (口尚乳臭). He then dispatched Han Xin, Guan Ying, and Cao Can to lead the army to attack Wei Bao.
They achieved a great victory, capturing Wei Bao alive.
Idioms Related to 口尚乳臭
Synonyms of 口尚乳臭
Antonyms of 口尚乳臭
More idioms starting with 口
- kǒu口bù不èr二jià价quote a fixed price
- kǒu口bù不yìng应xīn心say one thing, mean another
- kǒu口bù不zé择yán言blurt out whatever comes to mind
- kǒu口bù不jué绝yín吟recite continuously without stopping
- kǒu口zhōng中zǎo蚤shī虱an extremely trivial opponent or challenge
- kǒu口zhōng中cí雌huáng黄casually contradict oneself
- kǒu口chuán传xīn心shòu授oral instruction, mental reception
- kǒu口sì似xuán悬hé河speak eloquently and volubly
- kǒu口chū出bù不xùn逊speak disrespectfully or insolently
- kǒu口chū出dà大yán言to boast or brag
- kǒu口chū出kuáng狂yán言speak arrogantly or boastfully
- kǒu口kou口shēng声shēng声repeatedly declare
Questions about 口尚乳臭
- What does 口尚乳臭 mean?
- 口尚乳臭 (kǒu shàng rǔ xiù) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Still wet behind the ears”.
- How do you pronounce 口尚乳臭?
- 口尚乳臭 is pronounced kǒu shàng rǔ xiù in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 口尚乳臭 literally mean?
- Literally, 口尚乳臭 means “Mouth still smells of milk”. It is used to mean “Still wet behind the ears”.
- Where does 口尚乳臭 come from?
- 口尚乳臭 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 口尚乳臭?
- 乳臭：奶腥气。嘴里还有奶腥味。表示对年轻人的轻视。