Chinese word

守口如瓶

Pronunciation

Pinyinshǒu kǒu rú píng

Meaning

  • idiombe tight-lipped

Example

有关细节她始终守口如瓶，谁也问不出。yǒu guān xì jié tā shǐ zhōng shóu kǒu rú píng shuí yě wèn bù chū

She has always been tight-lipped about the details, and no one can get her to say anything.

Illustration for 守口如瓶 (be tight-lipped)

More examples

他对公司的内部消息一直守口如瓶，所以没人知道真相。tā duì gōng sī de nèi bù xiāo xī yì zhí shóu kǒu rú píng suó yǐ méi rén zhī dào zhēn xiàng

He has always been tight-lipped about the company's internal information, so no one knows the truth.

Core concept

The mouth acts like a sealed container, so private words cannot pass out.

Common phrases

  • 对秘密守口如瓶duì mì mì shóu kǒu rú píng

    be tight-lipped about secrets

  • 对这件事守口如瓶duì zhè jiàn shì shóu kǒu rú píng

    be tight-lipped about this matter

Similar words

闭口不言bì kǒu bù yán: Shutting the mouth and remaining silent without saying anything.
闭口无言bì kǒu wú yán: Having no words to say and remaining completely silent.
三缄其口sān jiān qí kǒu: Guarding a secret so firmly that no information is revealed.

Definition in Chinese

形容对秘密或敏感信息缄默不言，绝不向外透露任何细节。xíng róng duì mì mì huò mín gǎn xìn xī jiān mò bù yán jué bú xiàng wài tòu lù rèn hé xì jié

Word origin

守口如瓶 (shǒukǒurúpíng, "be tight-lipped") uses 守 (shǒu, "guard") + 口 (kǒu, "mouth") and 如 (rú, "like") + 瓶 (píng, "bottle") to create the image of speech sealed safely inside.

Usage tips

  • The idiom describes deliberate silence about information, not simply forgetting an answer or speaking softly.

Other meanings

  • keep a secretidiom

Opposites

Word lists with this word