Chinese word

口才

Pronunciation

Pinyinkǒu cái

Meaning

  • nouneloquence

Example

我觉得他的口才很好。wǒ jué de tā de kǒu cái hěn hǎo

I think he is very eloquent.

Illustration for 口才 (eloquence)

More examples

在面试中，她凭借口才打动了面试官。zài miàn shì zhōng tā píng jiè kǒu cái dǎ dòng le miàn shì guān

Her eloquence impressed the interviewer during the interview.

Core concept

A quick, smooth speaking ability that turns thoughts into clear, effective words in live conversation.

Common phrases

  • 口才出众kǒu cái chū zhòng

    exceptional eloquence

  • 有口才yǒu kǒu cái

    be eloquent

Similar words

能言善辩néng yán shàn biàn: Strong speaking skill for clear reasoning and persuasive argument.
辩才biàn cái: Persuasive speaking skill shown through exact replies in discussion.
机智jī zhì: The skill of finding a clever spoken response without delay.

Definition in Chinese

指在交谈中反应敏捷、语言流畅并能巧妙表达观点的说话本领，侧重于临场应对和表达的灵活性。zhǐ zài jiāo tán zhōng fǎn yìng mǐn jié yǔ yán liú chàng bìng néng qiǎo miào biǎo dá guān diǎn de shuō huà bén lǐng cè zhòng yú lín chǎng yìng duì hé biǎo dá de líng huó xìng

Word origin

口 (kǒu, "mouth") + 才 (cái, "ability") combines speech with talent, giving the word its sense of skilled, adaptable speaking.

Usage tips

  • Chinese often uses this noun to praise how someone handles a live exchange, not merely how much that person talks.

Other meanings

  • gift of gabnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 口才训练kǒu cái xùn liànpublic speaking trainingnoun
  • 口才比赛kǒu cái bǐ sàispeech competitionnoun

Word lists with this word