口口相传 word of mouth
Explanation
指没有文字记载，仅靠口头传播。
Refers to something that is not recorded in writing, but only orally transmitted.
Origin Story
很久以前，在一个偏远的小山村里，住着一位年迈的老人。他掌握着一种独特的草药配方，可以治疗各种疑难杂症。但是，这位老人不识字，他所有的知识都来源于他祖辈的口口相传。几百年来，这个配方一直被秘密地守护着，一代一代地传下去，从未被记录下来。老人一生都在守护着这个秘密，并将其传给了他最信任的孙子。孙子继承了老人的遗志，继续用这种草药帮助村民治病救人，并将这个珍贵的配方通过口口相传的方式一代一代地传承下去，让更多的人受益。
A long time ago, in a remote mountain village, there lived an old man. He possessed a unique herbal formula that could cure various difficult and complicated diseases. However, this old man was illiterate, and all his knowledge came from the oral tradition of his ancestors. For hundreds of years, this formula had been secretly guarded and passed down from generation to generation, never being recorded in writing. The old man spent his whole life guarding this secret and passed it on to his most trusted grandson. The grandson, inheriting the old man’s will, continued to use these herbs to help villagers cure diseases and save lives, and passed on this precious formula through word of mouth, generation after generation, so that more people could benefit.
Usage
用于描写信息传播的方式，多指口头传播。
Used to describe the way information is spread, mostly orally.
Examples
-
这个故事是口口相传下来的。
zhège gùshì shì kǒu kǒu xiāng chuán xià lái de。
This story has been passed down by word of mouth.
-
这个秘密被口口相传了好几代人。
zhège mìmì bèi kǒu kǒu xiāng chuán le hǎo jǐ dài rén。
This secret has been passed down orally for generations.