# 口若悬河

kǒu ruò xuán hé

Speak fluently and at great length

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** A mouth like a pouring river

**Traditional Chinese:** 口若懸河

**Register:** Descriptive · conversational

[People & connection](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/relationships)

## When to use it

Use for someone who talks readily, persuasively, or without stopping.

Fluent speech is not proof of truth or expertise; the tone can be admiring or critical.

## Understanding the expression

The river image emphasizes continuous flow. The idiom may praise eloquence or suggest that someone talks excessively, depending on the surrounding sentence. It is about the style and abundance of speech rather than the quality of the argument. A speaker can be 口若悬河 and still avoid the question. The audience's reaction often makes the intended evaluation clear. It commonly follows a description of a particularly talkative speaker.

## Examples

一谈到历史，他就口若悬河。

### Traditional Chinese

一談到歷史，他就口若懸河。

yì tán dào lì shǐ ， tā jiù kǒu ruò xuán hé 。

Once the subject turns to history, he speaks fluently at length.

她口若悬河地介绍产品，却没有回答价格问题。

### Traditional Chinese

她口若懸河地介紹產品，卻沒有回答價格問題。

tā kǒu ruò xuán hé dì jiè shào chǎn pǐn ， què méi yǒu huí dá jià gé wèn tí 。

She gave a flowing product presentation but did not answer the pricing question.

主持人口若悬河，现场几乎没有冷场。

### Traditional Chinese

主持人口若懸河，現場幾乎沒有冷場。

zhǔ chí rén kǒu ruò xuán hé ， xiàn chǎng jī hū méi yǒu lěng chǎng 。

The host spoke fluently, leaving hardly any awkward silence.

别被他口若悬河的样子迷惑，先核实事实。

### Traditional Chinese

別被他口若懸河的樣子迷惑，先核實事實。

bié bèi tā kǒu ruò xuán hé de yàng zi mí huò ， xiān hé shí shì shí 。

Do not be dazzled by his fluent talk; check the facts first.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E5%8F%A3%E8%8B%A5%E6%87%B8%E6%B2%B3)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=16&webMd=1&la=0)

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