巧舌如簧 qiǎo shé rú huáng eloquent

Explanation

形容人说话非常流利，令人信服，也常用来形容人善于说谎，花言巧语。

Describes someone who speaks very fluently and convincingly. It is also often used to describe someone who is good at lying and using flowery language.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，京城长安有一位著名的说书人，名叫李元吉。他天生一副好嗓子，再加上多年的磨练，说书技艺已臻化境。他讲起故事来，声音抑扬顿挫，妙趣横生，引人入胜。更厉害的是，他口若悬河，滔滔不绝，即使是那些最挑剔的听众，也被他巧舌如簧的本事深深折服。一天，李元吉来到一家茶馆说书，茶馆里挤满了人，人声鼎沸。他开始讲述一个关于神仙的故事，他绘声绘色地描绘了神仙的住所、神仙的服饰，以及神仙的各种神奇的法术。他那巧舌如簧的本事，把神仙的世界描绘得栩栩如生，让听众们仿佛身临其境。故事讲到高潮部分时，李元吉突然停了下来，他神秘地一笑，说：“各位客官，这个故事精彩之处还在后面呢！不过，要想听到后面的故事，你们得先付钱！”听了这话，人们都哈哈大笑起来，李元吉的巧舌如簧，不仅赢得了大家的喝彩，也赢得了大家的钱财。

huà shuō táng cháo shí qī, jīng chéng cháng ān yǒu yī wèi zhù míng de shuō shū rén, míng jiào lǐ yuán jí。tā tiān shēng yī fù hǎo sǎng zi, zài jiā shàng duō nián de mó liàn, shuō shū jì yì yǐ zhēn huà jìng。tā jiǎng qǐ gù shì lái, shēng yīn yī yáng dùn cuò, miào qù héng shēng, yǐn rén rù shèng。gèng lì hai de shì, tā kǒu ruò xuán hé, tāo tāo bù jué, jí shǐ shì nà xiē zuì tiǎo tī de tīng zhòng, yě bèi tā qiǎo shé rú huáng de běn shi shēn shēn zhé fú。yī tiān, lǐ yuán jí lái dào yī jiā chá guǎn shuō shū, chá guǎn lǐ jǐ mǎn le rén, rén shēng dǐng fèi。tā kāi shǐ jiǎng shù yīgè guānyú shén xiān de gù shì, tā huì shēng huì sè de miáo huì le shén xiān de zhù suǒ, shén xiān de fú shì, yǐ jí shén xiān de gè zhǒng shén qí de fǎ shù。tā nà qiǎo shé rú huáng de běn shi, bǎ shén xiān de shì jiè miáo huì de xǔ xǔ shēng shēng, ràng tīng zhòng men fǎng fú shēn lín qìng jìng。gù shì jiǎng dào gāo cháo bù fèn shí, lǐ yuán jí tū rán tíng le xià lái, tā shén mì de yī xiào, shuō：‘gè wèi kè guān, zhège gù shì jīng cǎi zhī chù hái zài hòu miàn ne！bù guò, yào xiǎng tīng dào hòu miàn de gù shì, nǐ men děi xiān fù qián！’ tīng le zhè huà, rén men dōu hā hā dà xiào qǐ lái, lǐ yuán jí de qiǎo shé rú huáng, bù jǐn yíng de le dà jiā de hē cái, yě yíng de le dà jiā de qián cái。

In the Tang Dynasty, there was a famous storyteller in Chang'an, the capital city, named Li Yuanji. He was naturally gifted with a good voice, and years of practice had honed his storytelling skills to perfection. When he told stories, his voice was expressive and full of charm, captivating his audience. What was even more impressive was his eloquence and fluency; even the most discerning listeners were deeply captivated by his skill. One day, Li Yuanji came to a teahouse to tell stories. The teahouse was packed with people, buzzing with noise. He began to tell a story about immortals, vividly describing their dwellings, their clothes, and their various magical powers. His eloquence brought the world of immortals to life, making the audience feel as if they were truly there. When the story reached its climax, Li Yuanji suddenly stopped. He smiled mysteriously and said, “My esteemed guests, the most exciting part of this story is yet to come! But to hear the rest, you must first pay!” At these words, everyone burst into laughter. Li Yuanji's eloquence not only won the applause of the audience but also their money.

Usage

作谓语、宾语、定语；形容人说话很流利，很会说话，也指花言巧语，巧言令色。

zuò wèi yǔ, bīn yǔ, dìng yǔ；xiāo róng rén shuō huà hěn liúlì, hěn huì shuō huà, yě zhǐ huā yán qiǎo yǔ, qiǎo yán lìng sè。

Used as a predicate, object, or attributive; describes someone who speaks very fluently and convincingly, but can also refer to flattery and hypocrisy.

Examples

• 那商人巧舌如簧，把劣质品吹嘘成上品，骗取了顾客的钱财。

  nà shāng rén qiǎo shé rú huáng, bǎ liè zhì pǐn chuī xū chéng shàng pǐn, piàn qǔ le gù kè de qián cái。

  The merchant was smooth-talking and touted inferior goods as high-quality ones, defrauding customers of their money.

• 他巧舌如簧，说服了很多人支持他的计划。

  tā qiǎo shé rú huáng, shuō fú le hěn duō rén zhī chí tā de jì huà。

  With his silver tongue, he persuaded many people to support his plan.

Related Idioms

• 花言巧语

• 巧言令色

• 能言善辩

Opposite Idioms

• 笨嘴拙舌

• 口齿不清