抑扬顿挫

抑揚頓挫

yìyáng-dùncuò

idiom HSK 7-9 #56,838

Meanings

他的演讲抑扬顿挫，非常动听。

Tā de yǎnjiǎng yìyáng-dùncuò, fēicháng dòngtīng.

His speech had excellent cadence and was very pleasant to listen to.

朗读课文要注意抑扬顿挫。

Lǎngdú kèwén yào zhùyì yìyáng-dùncuò.

When reading aloud, pay attention to the rhythm and intonation.

memory

抑 (suppress/lower) + 扬 (raise) + 顿 (pause) + 挫 (drop) = lower, raise, pause, drop — the four elements of expressive speech.

usage

抑扬顿挫 is always a compliment describing skilled, expressive delivery. Used for speeches, poetry recitation, singing, and storytelling.

抑 yì

扬 yáng

顿 dùn

挫 cuò