口干舌燥

口乾舌燥

kǒugānshézào

idiom

Meanings

Wǒ gēn tā jiěshì le bàntiān, shuō de kǒugānshézào, tā háishì bù míngbái.

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

Jiǎng le sān jié kè, lǎoshī kǒugānshézào, hē le yī dà bēi shuǐ.

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

history

Echoes Cao Zhi's (曹植, 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 gàn

舌 shé

燥 zào