窃窃私语 qiè qiè sī yǔ whisper

Explanation

指背地里小声说话，多含贬义，暗示说的话不光彩或不可告人。

Refers to whispering secretly, often with a negative connotation, suggesting that what is said is dishonorable or confidential.

Origin Story

在一个古老的村庄里，住着一位德高望重的老人，名叫李大爷。他一生热心公益，深受村民的爱戴。一天，村里发生了一件怪事：村长家的鸡一夜之间全都不见了。村民们议论纷纷，窃窃私语，猜测着小偷是谁。李大爷并没有参与他们的猜测，而是独自一人来到村长家，仔细观察现场。他发现鸡笼的门并没有被破坏，地上也没有任何脚印，只有几根细小的羽毛散落在草地上。他推断，偷鸡的人很可能熟悉村长家的环境，而且手法非常娴熟。李大爷将他的推断告诉了村长，村长听后恍然大悟。原来，偷鸡的人正是村长家的一个远房亲戚，他经常来村长家串门，对村长家的环境非常熟悉。他偷鸡后，还特意将鸡笼门关好，避免留下痕迹。最终，在李大爷的帮助下，村长找到了偷鸡贼，找回了失窃的鸡。这件事在村里广为流传，大家都称赞李大爷的智慧和公正。

zài yīgè gǔlǎo de cūnzhuāng lǐ, zhùzhe yī wèi dé gāo wàngzhòng de lǎorén, míng jiào lǐ dàyé. tā yīshēng rèxīn gōngyì, shēn shòu cūnmín de àidài. yītiān, cūn lǐ fāshēng le yī jiàn guàishì: cūnzhǎng jiā de jī yīyè zhī jiān quán dōu bù jiàn le. cūnmínmen yìlùn fēnfēn, qièqiè sīyǔ, cāicè zhe xiǎotōu shì shuí. lǐ dàyé bìng méiyǒu cānyù tāmen de cāicè, érshì dúzì yīrén lái dào cūnzhǎng jiā, zǐxì guānchá xiànchǎng. tā fāxiàn jīlóng de mén bìng méiyǒu bèi pòhuài, dì shang yě méiyǒu rènhé jiǎoyìn, zhǐyǒu jǐ gēn xìxiǎo de yǔmáo sànluò zài cǎodì shang. tā tuīduàn, tōujī de rén hěn kěnéng shúxī cūnzhǎng jiā de huánjìng, érqiě shǒufǎ fēicháng xiánshú. lǐ dàyé jiāng tā de tuīduàn gàosù le cūnzhǎng, cūnzhǎng tīng hòu huǎngrán dàwù. yuánlái, tōujī de rén zhèngshì cūnzhǎng jiā de yī gè yuǎnfāng qīnqi, tā jīngcháng lái cūnzhǎng jiā chuànmén, duì cūnzhǎng jiā de huánjìng fēicháng shúxī. tā tōujī hòu, hái tèyì jiāng jīlóng mén guānhǎo, bìmiǎn liúxià hénjī. zuìzhōng, zài lǐ dàyé de bāngzhù xià, cūnzhǎng zhǎodào le tōujīzéi, zhǎohuí le shīqiè de jī. zhè jiàn shì zài cūn lǐ guǎng wéi chuánchuán, dàjiā dōu chēngzàn lǐ dàyé de zhìhuì hé gōngzhèng.

In an ancient village, there lived a respected elder named Mr. Li. He devoted his life to public welfare and was deeply loved by the villagers. One day, a strange thing happened in the village: the village chief's chickens disappeared overnight. The villagers gossiped and whispered, guessing who the thief was. Mr. Li didn't participate in their speculation, but went alone to the village chief's house to carefully observe the scene. He found that the chicken coop door was not damaged, and there were no footprints on the ground, only a few small feathers scattered on the grass. He deduced that the thief was likely familiar with the village chief's home environment and very skilled. Mr. Li told his deduction to the village chief, who suddenly realized. It turned out that the thief was a distant relative of the village chief's family, who often visited the village chief's house and was very familiar with the environment of the village chief's house. After stealing the chickens, he deliberately closed the chicken coop door to avoid leaving any trace. In the end, with Mr. Li's help, the village chief found the thief and retrieved the stolen chickens. This incident was widely circulated in the village, and everyone praised Mr. Li's wisdom and fairness.

Usage

用于描写人物背地里小声说话的情况，多用于贬义语境。

yòng yú miáoxiě rénwù bèidì lǐ xiǎoshēng shuōhuà de qíngkuàng, duō yòng yú biǎnyì yǔjìng.

Used to describe the situation where people whisper secretly, mostly used in negative contexts.

Examples

• 会议期间，角落里有人窃窃私语。

  huìyí qījiān, jiǎoluòlǐ yǒurén qièqiè sīyǔ

  During the meeting, someone was whispering in the corner.

• 孩子们窃窃私语地分享着秘密。

  háizimen qièqiè sīyǔ de fēnxiǎngzhe mìmì

  The children whispered secrets to each other.

• 他俩窃窃私语，不知道在商量什么。

  tā liǎ qièqiè sīyǔ, bù zhīdào zài shāngliang shénme

  They two whispered, nobody knows what they were talking about

Related Idioms

• 私语

• 密谈

• 耳语

Opposite Idioms

• 大声喧哗

• 公开谈论