CHENGYU
千言万语(qiān yán wàn yǔ)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral
- Source:
- 唐·郑谷《燕》
MEANING
- Literal
- a thousand words and ten thousand phrases
- Figurative meaning
- so much to say
ORIGIN STORY
The Tang poet Zheng Gu wrote of a swallow: "A thousand words, ten thousand phrases, and none understands — off it flies again over the low wall." The counting words stand for the fullness of what wants saying.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“so much to say”
EXAMPLES
久别重逢，他们有千言万语要说。Jiǔ bié chóngféng, tāmen yǒu qiān yán wàn yǔ yào shuō.HSK6
Meeting after so long, they had a thousand things to say.
千言万语汇成一句话：谢谢！Qiān yán wàn yǔ huì chéng yí jù huà: xièxie!HSK6
Ten thousand words come down to one: thank you!
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It is an abundance of things to say — not fast talking or empty talk.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01