喋喋不休 — “To talk incessantly”
喋喋不休 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to talk incessantly”. To chatter away endlessly; to babble on.
喋喋不休 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 喋dié
- 喋dié
- 不bù
- 休xiū
喋喋不休 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 喋喋不休
Origin and Story of 喋喋不休
During the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Wen dispatched a princess to marry Jizhu, the Xiongnu king, to secure peace on the border.
The eunuch Zhongxing was assigned to escort the princess. Upon reaching the Xiongnu territory, Zhongxing defected and became a strategic advisor to the Xiongnu.
When Han envoys later visited, they ridiculed the Xiongnu for their living arrangements, pointing out that entire families lived in a single tent.
Zhongxing sharply retorted, criticizing the Han envoys for only knowing how to dress ostentatiously and 'chatter on incessantly' without substance, implying they were all talk and no action.
This incident is associated with the idiom '喋喋不休', which describes someone who talks on and on without stopping, often to the point of being tiresome.
Idioms Related to 喋喋不休
Synonyms of 喋喋不休
Antonyms of 喋喋不休
More idioms starting with 喋
Questions about 喋喋不休
- What does 喋喋不休 mean?
- 喋喋不休 (dié dié bù xiū) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to talk incessantly”.
- How do you pronounce 喋喋不休?
- 喋喋不休 is pronounced dié dié bù xiū in Mandarin Chinese.
- Where does 喋喋不休 come from?
- 喋喋不休 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to the modern era. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 喋喋不休?
- 喋喋：形容说话多；体：停止。唠唠叨叨，说个没完没了。