口若懸河

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Chinese

mouth; (a measure word, for people, livestock or utensils)
to seem; like; as
to seem; like; as; if
 
trad. (口若懸河) 口 若 懸河
simp. (口若悬河) 口 若 悬河
Literally: “mouth like a waterfall”.

Etymology

Considered an allusion from Shishuo Xinyu:

王太尉云：「郭子玄語議如懸河寫水，注而不竭。」 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
王太尉云：「郭子玄语议如悬河写水，注而不竭。」 [Literary Chinese, simp.]
From: Liu Yiqing (editor), A New Account of the Tales of the World, 5th century CE
Wáng tàiwèi yún: “Guō Zǐxuán yǔyì rú xuánhé xiè shuǐ, zhù ér bù jié.”
The grand marshal, Wang Yen, said, “When Kuo Hsiang converses, it's as if he were tilting the Yellow River to drain its waters; it pours and pours, but is never exhausted.”

Then the four-character chengyu-like form first attested in Han Yu's poem:

安能以此上論列，願借辯口如懸河。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
安能以此上论列，愿借辩口如悬河。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]
From: 811, Han Yu (韓愈),《石鼓歌》, translated by Lin Tongqi（林同奇）
Ānnéng yǐ cǐ shàng lùnliè, yuàn jiè biànkǒu rú xuánhé.
How, then, could my above points be regained?
Fain would I loose my torrential eloquence (to bring these Stone Drums all into Imperial Academy).

Notes: 如 (rú) can always replace 若 (ruò), but nowadays the latter is more used in this.

Pronunciation

Idiom

口若懸河

  1. eloquent; glib; voluble; having the gift of the gab
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