三缄其口 — “To keep one's mouth tightly shut”
三缄其口 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to keep one's mouth tightly shut”. To remain silent, often due to caution or a deliberate refusal to speak. Literally, “To seal one's mouth three times; three seals on one's mouth”.
三缄其口 Pronunciation and Pinyin
三缄其口 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 三缄其口
Origin and Story of 三缄其口
During the Spring and Autumn period, Confucius visited the ancestral temple of the King of Zhou in the Zhou dynasty's capital.
The ancestral temple was a sacred place at that time, and visitors were generally required to maintain silence.
Confucius saw a bronze figure in front of the steps on the right side of the main hall.
The bronze figure's mouth was sealed with three strips, and words were engraved on its back: 'This is a person from ancient times who spoke with the utmost caution and prudence.'
Idioms Related to 三缄其口
Synonyms of 三缄其口
Antonyms of 三缄其口
More idioms starting with 三
- sān三sān三liǎng两liǎng两in small groups
- sān三sān三wǔ五wǔ五in small scattered groups
- sān三sān三sì四sì四in small groups
- sān三xià下wǔ五chú除èr二do something quickly and efficiently
- sān三bù不niù拗liù六the minority cannot overrule the majority
- sān三bù不zhī知utterly ignorant of something
- sān三gè个chòu臭pí皮jiang匠，，hé合chéng成yí一gè个zhū诸gě葛liàng亮Collective wisdom is powerful
- sān三gè个chòu臭pí皮jiang匠，，sài赛guò过zhū诸gě葛liàng亮Collective wisdom surpasses individual genius
- sān三wǔ五chéng成qún群in small groups
- sān三qīn亲liù六gù故relatives and old friends
- sān三qīn亲liù六juàn眷all one's relatives
- sān三qīn亲sì四juàn眷all one's relatives and kinsfolk
Recommended tools
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →Questions about 三缄其口
What does 三缄其口 mean?
三缄其口 (sān jiān qí kǒu) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to keep one's mouth tightly shut”.
How do you pronounce 三缄其口?
三缄其口 is pronounced sān jiān qí kǒu in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 三缄其口 literally mean?
Literally, 三缄其口 means “to seal one's mouth three times; three seals on one's mouth”. It is used to mean “to keep one's mouth tightly shut”.
Where does 三缄其口 come from?
三缄其口 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 三缄其口?
缄：封。在他嘴上贴了三张封条。形容说话谨慎。现在也用来形容不肯或不敢开口。