巧舌如簧

qiǎoshé-rúhuáng

idiom #36,475

Meanings

1 to have a glib tongue
2 silver-tongued
3 to speak with deceptive eloquence

Characters

skillful / clever

reed (of a wind instrument)

Examples

HSK 5

这个推销员巧舌如簧，让人难以拒绝。

Zhège tuīxiāoyuán qiǎoshérúhuáng, ràng rén nányǐ jùjué.

This salesman is so silver-tongued that it's hard to refuse him.

HSK 5

别被他巧舌如簧的话骗了。

Bié bèi tā qiǎoshérúhuáng dehuà piàn le.

Don't be fooled by his glib talk.

Tips

history

From the Shijing (Book of Songs), 'Xiaoya: Qiao Yan' (《诗经·小雅·巧言》): 巧言如簧，颜之厚矣 - 'glib words like a reed-pipe, what a thick face'. The 簧 (huáng) is the vibrating reed of a wind instrument; the metaphor is that the speaker's tongue produces sweet-sounding music designed to deceive.

register

Almost always negative - used to describe smooth-talkers, con artists, and slick politicians, not genuinely eloquent speakers.

Stroke Order

巧 qiǎo

舌 shé

如 rú

簧 huáng