嘴皮子

zuǐpízi
noun #30,517

Meanings

  1. 1 lips (literally)
  2. 2 glib tongue; lip service; smooth talk

Examples

Tā jiù kào shuǎ zuǐpízi hùnfàn chī.
He just makes a living by smooth-talking.
Guāng dòng zuǐpízi méiyòng, yào náchū xíngdòng.
Just running your mouth isn't enough — you have to take action.

Tips

usage
Literally 'lip skin'. Almost always used figuratively in set phrases: 耍嘴皮子 'to be a smooth talker', 嘴皮子 'to talk (without acting)', 嘴皮子/ 'thin/thick lips' (figuratively, slick/loose-lipped). Distinctly colloquial.
register
Casual and slightly disparaging — implies the speaker is all talk and no action.

Stroke Order

zuǐ