Chinese word

滔滔不绝

Pronunciation

Pinyintāo tāo bù jué

Meaning

  • idiomtalk on and on

Example

他在会议上对大家滔滔不绝地讲笑话。tā zài huì yì shàng duì dà jiā tāo tāo bù jué dì jiǎng xiào huà

At the meeting, he talks nonstop as he tells everyone jokes.

Illustration for 滔滔不绝 (talk on and on)

More examples

爷爷常常在晚饭后滔滔不绝地讲故事给孩子们听。yé yé cháng cháng zài wǎn fàn hòu tāo tāo bù jué dì jiǎng gù shì gěi hái zi men tīng

Grandpa often talks on and on as he tells the children stories after dinner.

Core concept

Words pour out in a strong, unbroken stream, with no natural stopping point.

Common phrases

  • 滔滔不绝地讲故事tāo tāo bù jué dì jiǎng gù shì

    tell stories nonstop

  • 滔滔不绝的陈述tāo tāo bù jué de chén shù

    an unending statement

Similar words

口若悬河kǒu ruò xuán hé: Talking at length with smooth, fluent, and seemingly effortless speech.
喋喋不休dié dié bù xiū: Going on and on with repeated talk about minor matters.
侃侃而谈kán kǎn ér tán: Giving a long, clear, and confident account in a calm manner.
长篇大论cháng piān dà lùn: A lengthy discussion or explanation that develops an argument through many words.

Definition in Chinese

形容说话连绵不断，像水流一样停不下来，多用于描写一个人讲个不停。xíng róng shuō huà lián mián bú duàn xiàng shuǐ liú yí yàng tíng bú xià lái duō yòng yú miáo xiě yí gè rén jiǎng gè bù tíng

Word origin

滔滔不绝 (tāotāobùjué, "an unending flow") uses repeated 滔 (tāo, "surging water") to evoke abundant movement, while 不 (bù, "not") + 绝 (jué, "end") marks the flow as uninterrupted.

Usage tips

  • The idiom commonly describes how someone speaks, so it fits a sustained account, story, or explanation better than a short reply.

Opposites

Word lists with this word