有口难言 you kou nan yan It is difficult to say anything

Explanation

指有话不便说或不敢说。

It means there is something one wants to say but can't, or doesn't dare to say.

Origin Story

唐朝时期，有个名叫李白的诗人，他因看不惯朝中的黑暗，屡屡进言，但都被昏庸的统治者所压制，很多事情有口难言，他只能借酒浇愁，写诗抒发自己的郁闷之情。李白的诗歌中充满着对社会现实的批判，但也充满了无奈。他不止一次地在诗歌中表达过这种有口难言的苦衷，例如，“安能摧眉折腰事权贵，使我不得开心颜”。

tang chao shiqi, you ge ming jiao li bai de shiren, ta yin kan buguan chaozhong de heian, lv lv jin yan, dan dou bei hun yong de tongzhi zhe suo yazhi, henduo shiqing you kou nan yan, ta zhi neng jie jiu jiao chou, xie shi shufabian ziji de yumeng zhi qing. li bai de shige zhong chongmanzhe dui shehui xianshi de piping, dan ye chongmanle wunai. ta buzhi yici di zai shige zhong biaoda guo zhe zhong you kou nan yan de kuzhong, liru, “an neng cui mei zhe yao shi quan gui, shi wo bu de kai xin yan”.

During the Tang Dynasty, there was a poet named Li Bai. Because he couldn't bear to see the darkness in the court, he repeatedly spoke up, but he was suppressed by the昏庸的统治者. Many things were unspoken, so he could only drown his sorrows in wine and write poetry to express his unhappiness. Li Bai's poems are full of criticism of social reality, but they are also full of helplessness. More than once he expressed in his poems his bitter experience of being unable to speak his mind. For example, “安能摧眉折腰事权贵，使我不得开心颜”.

Usage

用于比喻有话不能说，有苦衷无法倾诉。

yongyu biju you hua buneng shuo, you ku zhong wufa qingsu

Used to describe the situation where one has something to say but cannot or dare not say it.

Examples

• 这件事的内情，他虽然知道，但却有口难言。

  zhe jianshi de neiqing, ta suiran zhidao, dan que you kou nan yan

  He knew the inside story, but he couldn't say anything about it.

Related Idioms

• 有苦难言

• 哑巴吃黄连

• 难言之隐

Opposite Idioms

• 畅所欲言

• 直言不讳