Chinese word

有口无心

Pronunciation

Pinyinyǒu kǒu wú xīn

Meaning

  • idiomspeak without thinking

Example

你别把话都往心里去，他只是有口无心。nǐ bié bǎ huà dōu wǎng xīn lǐ qù tā zhǐ shì yóu kǒu wú xīn

Don't take everything he says to heart; he just speaks without thinking.

Illustration for 有口无心 (speak without thinking)

More examples

酒后他常常有口无心，不小心把别人的私事说了出来。jiǔ hòu tā cháng cháng yóu kǒu wú xīn bù xiǎo xīn bǎ bié rén de sī shì shuō le chū lái

After drinking, he often speaks without thinking and accidentally reveals other people's private matters.

Core concept

Words leave the mouth before the mind gives them weight.

Common phrases

  • 在酒桌上有口无心zài jiǔ zhuō shàng yóu kǒu wú xīn

    speak without thinking at the dinner table

  • 有口无心的习惯yóu kǒu wú xīn de xí guàn

    habit of speaking without thinking

  • 有口无心地说出来yóu kǒu wú xīn dì shuō chū lái

    say it without thinking

Similar words

口无遮拦kǒu wú zhē lán: Talking openly and without restraint, even about matters better kept private.
口不择言kǒu bù zé yán: Expressing thoughts bluntly and rashly without taking time to choose suitable words.
无心之失wú xīn zhī shī: An accidental mistake, such as an unplanned slip of the tongue.
多嘴多舌duō zuǐ duō shé: Speaking at length and saying more unnecessary things than the situation calls for.

Definition in Chinese

随口说出的话，言辞轻率但通常无恶意或深刻用意。suí kǒu shuō chū de huà yán cí qīng shuài dàn tōng cháng wú è yì huò shēn kè yòng yì

Word origin

有口无心 (yǒukǒuwúxīn, "a mouth but no intention") joins speaking with the absence of deliberate thought or ill will, so a remark is treated as unconsidered rather than malicious.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this idiom can soften a complaint about a careless remark, but it does not by itself excuse hurt that the remark causes.

Other meanings

  • let something slipidiom
  • speak rashlyidiom

Opposites

  • 谨言慎行jǐn yán shèn xíngbe cautious in speech and conductidiom
  • 言之有物yán zhī yǒu wùspeak with substanceidiom

Word lists with this word