信口雌黃

See also: 信口雌黄

Chinese

		thoughtlessly	gamboge; orpiment
trad. (信口雌黃)		信口	雌黃
simp. (信口雌黄)		信口	雌黄

Etymology

Paper used in ancient China were yellowish in color and orpiment was used as correction fluid. The idiom is therefore used as a metaphor of a person trying to correct oneself when he/she is talking nonsense.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xìnkǒucíhuáng, xìnkǒucīhuáng

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄣˋ ㄎㄡˇ ㄘˊ ㄏㄨㄤˊ, ㄒㄧㄣˋ ㄎㄡˇ ㄘ ㄏㄨㄤˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): seon³ hau² ci¹ wong⁴

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, standard in Mainland; variant in Taiwan)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xìnkǒucíhuáng
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄣˋ ㄎㄡˇ ㄘˊ ㄏㄨㄤˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sìnkǒucíhhuáng
    • Wade–Giles: hsin⁴-kʻou³-tzʻŭ²-huang²
    • Yale: syìn-kǒu-tsź-hwáng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shinnkooutsyrhwang
    • Palladius: синькоуцыхуан (sinʹkoucyxuan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕin⁵¹ kʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰz̩³⁵ xu̯ɑŋ³⁵/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, standard in Taiwan)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xìnkǒucīhuáng
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄣˋ ㄎㄡˇ ㄘ ㄏㄨㄤˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sìnkǒucihhuáng
    • Wade–Giles: hsin⁴-kʻou³-tzʻŭ¹-huang²
    • Yale: syìn-kǒu-tsz̄-hwáng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shinnkooutsyhwang
    • Palladius: синькоуцыхуан (sinʹkoucyxuan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕin⁵¹ kʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰz̩⁵⁵ xu̯ɑŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: seon³ hau² ci¹ wong⁴
    • Yale: seun háu chī wòhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: soen³ hau² tsi¹ wong⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: sên³ heo² qi¹ wong⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɵn³³ hɐu̯³⁵ t͡sʰiː⁵⁵ wɔːŋ²¹/

Idiom

信口雌黃

1. to make irresponsible remarks, to utter nonsense