口中雌黄 — “To contradict oneself casually”
口中雌黄 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to contradict oneself casually”. To make inconsistent statements without a firm opinion, often changing one's words at will.
口中雌黄 Pronunciation and Pinyin
口中雌黄 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 口中雌黄
Origin and Story of 口中雌黄
During the Western Jin Dynasty, Grand Commandant Wang Yan was fond of discussing the philosophies of Laozi and Zhuangzi. However, his interpretations and arguments often changed casually, leading people to describe his remarks as '口中雌黄' (kǒu zhōng cí huáng), meaning he spoke inconsistently as if casually correcting errors with orpiment.
Once, he sought out Guo Xiang, who had a deep understanding of Laozi and Zhuangzi, for a philosophical discussion. Guo Xiang provided a systematic and thorough analysis of the philosophies, which left Wang Yan unable to interject. Wang Yan was so greatly impressed that he remarked Guo Xiang's discourse on Laozi and Zhuangzi flowed like a gushing river, never running dry.
Idioms Related to 口中雌黄
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
- kǒu口kǒu口xiāng相chuán传pass on by word of mouth
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Open the tool →Questions about 口中雌黄
What does 口中雌黄 mean?
口中雌黄 (kǒu zhōng cí huáng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to contradict oneself casually”.
How do you pronounce 口中雌黄?
口中雌黄 is pronounced kǒu zhōng cí huáng in Mandarin Chinese.
Where does 口中雌黄 come from?
口中雌黄 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 口中雌黄?
雌黄：即鸡冠石，过去写字用黄纸，写错了就用雌黄涂沫后重写。随口更改说得不恰当的话。比喻言论前后矛盾，没有一定见解。