伶牙俐齿 líng yá lì chǐ quick-witted and articulate

Explanation

形容人机灵，口齿清晰，善于辞令。

Describes someone who is clever, articulate, and quick-witted.

Origin Story

话说江南小镇上住着一对姐弟，姐姐秀外慧中，弟弟却笨嘴拙舌。姐姐名叫巧巧，弟弟名叫笨笨。巧巧从小就伶牙俐齿，出口成章，常常用她巧妙的语言化解家庭矛盾，处理邻里纠纷，被乡亲们称为“小诸葛”。笨笨则相反，他性情木讷，不善言辞，常常因为表达不清而惹出许多笑话。有一天，镇上举办一场才艺大赛，巧巧和笨笨都报名参加了。比赛现场热闹非凡，选手们个个才华横溢，妙语连珠。轮到巧巧出场时，她不慌不忙，对答如流，妙语如珠，赢得了评委和观众的一致好评。而笨笨上台后，紧张得手足无措，结结巴巴地说不出话来，最终黯然退场。比赛结束后，巧巧并没有因此而骄傲自满，她反而更加努力地学习，不断提升自己的语言表达能力。她认为伶牙俐齿并不是为了炫耀，而是为了更好地与人沟通，更好地帮助他人。而笨笨也从这次比赛中吸取了教训，他开始学习如何更好地表达自己，克服自己的弱点。姐弟俩的故事在小镇上广为流传，成为了一个激励人们不断学习进步的佳话。

huì shuō jiāngnán xiǎo zhèn shang zhù zhe yī duì jiě dì, jiějie xiù wài huì zhōng, dìdì què bèn zuǐ zhuō shé. jiějie míng jiào qiǎo qiǎo, dìdì míng jiào bèn bèn. qiǎo qiǎo cóng xiǎo jiù líng yá lì chǐ, chūkǒu chéng zhāng, cháng cháng yòng tā qiǎo miào de yǔyán huà jiě jiātíng máodùn, chǔlǐ línlǐ jiūfēn, bèi xiāngqīn men chēng wèi “xiǎo zhūgé”. bèn bèn zé xiāngfǎn, tā xìngqíng mù nà, bù shàn yáncí, cháng cháng yīnwèi biǎodá bù qīng ér rě chū xǔduō xiàohua. yǒu yī tiān, zhèn shang jǔbàn yī chǎng cái yì dà sài, qiǎo qiǎo hé bèn bèn dōu bàomíng cānjiā le. bǐsài xiàn chǎng rènào fēifán, xuǎnshǒu men gè gè cái huá héngyì, miào yǔ lián zhū. lún dào qiǎo qiǎo chū chǎng shí, tā bù huāng bù máng, duì dá rú liú, miào yǔ rú zhū, yíngdéle píng wěi hé guānzhòng de yīzhì hǎopíng. ér bèn bèn shàng tái hòu, jǐnzhāng de shǒu zú wù cuò, jié jié bā bā de shuō bù chū huà lái, zuìzhōng àn rán tuì chǎng. bǐsài jiéshù hòu, qiǎo qiǎo bìng méiyǒu yīncǐ ér jiāo'ào zì mǎn, tā fǎn'ér gèngjiā nǔlì de xuéxí, bùduàn tíshēng zìjǐ de yǔyán biǎodá nénglì. tā rènwéi líng yá lì chǐ bìng bùshì wèile xuànyào, érshì wèile gèng hǎo de yǔ rén gōutōng, gèng hǎo de bāngzhù tá rén. ér bèn bèn yě cóng zhè cì bǐsài zhōng xīqǔ le jiàoxùn, tā kāishǐ xuéxí rúhé gèng hǎo de biǎodá zìjǐ, kèfú zìjǐ de ruòdiǎn. jiě dì liǎng de gùshì zài xiǎo zhèn shang guǎng wèi liúchuán, chéngwéi le yīgè jīlì rénmen bùduàn xuéxí jìnbù de jiā huà.

Once upon a time, in a small town in southern China, there lived a brother and sister. The sister was beautiful and intelligent, while the brother was shy and tongue-tied. The sister, Qiaoqiao, was always quick-witted and eloquent, often using her clever words to resolve family conflicts and settle neighborhood disputes. The brother, Benben, on the other hand, was quiet and not good at speaking. One day, there was a talent show in town. Both siblings signed up. At the event, Qiaoqiao was very impressive and won over the judges and the audience. Benben, however, was so nervous that he could barely speak and left the competition disappointed. Qiaoqiao did not let the success get to her head and continued to learn and improve. Benben learned from the competition and overcame his shyness.

Usage

用于形容人说话机灵，口齿清楚，善于表达。

yòng yú xíngróng rén shuōhuà jīlíng, kǒuchǐ qīngchǔ, shàn yú biǎodá

Used to describe someone who is quick-witted and articulate.

Examples

• 这孩子伶牙俐齿的，真讨人喜欢。

  zhè háizi líng yá lì chǐ de, zhēn tǎo rén xǐhuan.

  This child is quick-witted and articulate, really likable.

• 他伶牙俐齿地辩驳，让人无言以对。

  tā líng yá lì chǐ de biànbó, ràng rén wú yán yǐ duì.

  He argued so eloquently that people were speechless.

Related Idioms

• 能说会道

• 巧舌如簧

Opposite Idioms

• 笨嘴拙舌

• 口齿不清