危言耸听 Wēi Yán Sǒng Tīng alarmist talk

Explanation

故意夸大其词，说些吓人的话，使人惊疑震动。

Intentionally exaggerating and saying scary words to make people surprised and shocked.

Origin Story

从前，在一个小山村里，住着一位老中医，他医术精湛，德高望重。一天，村里来了个外乡人，他声称自己会一种奇特的巫术，能预知未来，并预言村庄即将发生一场大灾难：山洪暴发，房屋尽毁，村民伤亡惨重。他说的有声有色，绘声绘影，把村民吓得够呛。老中医听后，并没有被他的危言耸听吓倒，而是仔细观察了最近的天气变化和山上的水流情况，发现并没有什么异常迹象，于是他站出来，用平静的语气向村民解释说，这位外乡人的话纯属危言耸听，没有科学依据。他劝诫大家不要惊慌失措，要保持冷静，并带领村民一起加强防洪措施，最终化解了一场虚惊。

cóng qián, zài yīgè xiǎo shān cūn lǐ, zhù zhe yī wèi lǎo zhōng yī, tā yī shù jīng zhàn, dé gāo wàng zhòng. yī tiān, cūn lǐ lái le gè wài xiāng rén, tā shēng chēng zì jǐ huì yī zhǒng qí tè de wū shù, néng yù zhī wèi lái, bìng yù yán cūn zhuāng jí jiāng fā shēng yī chǎng dà zāi nàn: shān hóng bào fā, fáng wū jìn huǐ, cūn mín shāng wáng cǎn zhòng. tā shuō de yǒu shēng yǒu sè, huì shēng huì yǐng, bǎ cūn mín xià de gòu qiàng. lǎo zhōng yī tīng hòu, bìng méi yǒu bèi tā de wēi yán sǒng tīng xià dǎo, ér shì zǐ xì guān chá le zuì jìn de tiān qì biàn huà hé shān shàng de shuǐ liú qíng kuàng, fā xiàn bìng méi yǒu shén me yì cháng jì xiàng, yú shì tā zhàn chū lái, yòng píng jìng de yǔ qì xiàng cūn mín jiě shì shuō, zhè wèi wài xiāng rén de huà chún shǔ wēi yán sǒng tīng, méi yǒu kē xué jī yù. tā quàn jiè dà jiā bù yào jīng huāng shī cuò, yào bǎo chí líng jìng, bìng dài lǐng cūn mín yī qǐ jiā qiáng fáng hóng cuò shī, zuì zhōng huà jué le yī chǎng xū jīng.

Once upon a time, in a small mountain village, there lived an old doctor who was known for his superb medical skills and high moral standing. One day, a stranger came to the village, claiming to possess a unique kind of witchcraft that allowed him to foresee the future. He prophesied a great disaster for the village: a devastating flood that would destroy all the houses and cause heavy casualties among the villagers. He described it so vividly and dramatically that the villagers were terrified. However, the old doctor was not intimidated by his alarmist words. Instead, he carefully observed the recent weather changes and the water flow in the mountains, and found no unusual signs. Then, he stood up and calmly explained to the villagers that the stranger's words were pure alarmist talk without any scientific basis. He urged everyone not to panic, to remain calm, and led the villagers to strengthen flood prevention measures, eventually averting a false alarm.

Usage

多用于贬义，形容夸大其词，吓唬人。

duō yòng yú biǎn yì, xíng róng kuā dà qí cí, xià hu rén

Mostly used in a derogatory sense, to describe exaggerated words that intimidate people.

Examples

• 他的话危言耸听，不足为信。

  tā de huà wēi yán sǒng tīng, bù zú wèi xìn

  His words are alarmist and not credible.

• 不要危言耸听，吓唬小孩子。

  bù yào wēi yán sǒng tīng, xià hu chuánɡ zi

  Don't be alarmist and scare the children

Related Idioms

• 耸人听闻

• 骇人听闻

Opposite Idioms

• 实事求是

• 平心静气