口干舌燥

口乾舌燥

kǒugān-shézào

idiom

Meanings

我跟他解释了半天，说得口干舌燥，他还是不明白。

Wǒ gēn tā jiěshì le bàntiān, shuō de kǒugān-shézào, tā háishì bù míngbái.

I explained it to him for ages until I was talked dry, and he still didn't understand.

讲了三节课，老师口干舌燥，喝了一大杯水。

Jiǎng le sān jié kè, lǎoshī kǒugān-shézào, hē le yī dà bēi shuǐ.

After three lessons of teaching, the teacher was parched and drank a big glass of water.

history

Echoes 曹植's (Three Kingdoms) 《善哉行》: 来日大难，口燥唇干 — 'Tomorrow brings great hardship, mouth dry and lips parched.'

usage

Almost always paired with talking, persuading, or arguing — not for general thirst. Compare with simple 渴 for 'thirsty'.

口 kǒu

干 gān

舌 shé

燥 zào